Books For Africa Engages With Partners in Washington, DC
Books For Africa engaged in a series of meetings the week of June 1st in Washington, DC. This was a great opportunity to meet with African diplomats, US members of Congress, the African Union, and key donors.
Books For Africa was invited to participate in a special African Union seminar entitled: “Forging an innovative Partnership between the US:- The Nexus between Infrastructure, Minerals and Space Technology.” A number of African ambassadors were in attendance at this event. Books For Africa was also invited to attend Africa Day activities hosted by the African Union at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. This event was a celebration of Africa’s heritage, history, and future.
Books For Africa is a member of the US Global Leadership Coalition, and participated in this year’s USGLC Summit. This two-day event featured briefings from international development experts, and visits with members of Congress and their staffs on Capitol Hill.
The annual Books For Africa Summit Society Reception – recognizing our top donors - was a huge success again this year. Approximately 60 Books For Africa donors and partners, as well as African Ambassadors and diplomatic representation from 10 African countries participated. The event was hosted this year at the Kenyan Embassy by Ambassador Kerich who serves as the 2026 Books For Africa Honorary Summit Society Chairman. Merck/MSD e-readers were distributed by Pat Plonski on behalf of Books For Africa and Merck/MSD to attending Ambassadors and diplomatic representatives. These Merck e-readers are loaded with digital Merck Manuals and other digital books and will be distributed to doctors, nurses, medical students, and medical personnel across Africa. Ambassadors in Attendance included Ambassador Kerich from Kenya, as well as the Ambassadors from Malawi, Ethiopia, Uganda, Angola, and the African Union. Diplomatic personnel from the Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Tanzania also participated.
In addition to these events, private meetings were held at the embassies of South Africa, Tunisia, Angola, and the African Union.
“All and all, this series of meetings in Washington, DC were very fruitful for Books For Africa,” said Executive Director Patrick Plonski. “This was an opportunity to work with our African partners on many levels to plan strategies for the shipment of more books across the African continent. We look forward to implementing in the months ahead many of the ideas that were discussed at this high-level meetings.”
Click on this link to view photos from this week of meetings with Books For Africa partners:https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCW8Ux