Africa Regional Services Paris Annual Program Statement: ARS Speaker Program

<p>Priority Region: Sub-Saharan Africa&nbsp;</p> <p><br></p> <p>Africa Regional Services (ARS) Paris, part of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, invites U.S. citizen speakers, artists, and athletes/coaches to&nbsp;submit&nbsp;Statements of Interest (SOIs) for inclusion on the ARS&nbsp;U.S.&nbsp;Speaker Program roster. Roster members may be selected for small program&nbsp;specific grants to conduct in-person and virtual outreach across sub-Saharan Africa.&nbsp;</p> <p>The ARS Speaker Program supports U.S. foreign policy goals in Africa by strengthening security, supporting shared prosperity, and&nbsp;promoting American excellence. In line with the Department’s Freedom 250 initiative marking the 250th anniversary of the United States&nbsp;and the Decade of Sport in America&nbsp;programs are encouraged to:&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Share the American story and 250 years of&nbsp;American excellence&nbsp;in innovation, technology, and culture;&nbsp;and celebrate American&nbsp;achievement in&nbsp;sports.&nbsp;</li> <li>Lead the next era of results&nbsp;driven U.S.–Africa partnership.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p>This Annual&nbsp;Program&nbsp;Statement&nbsp;seeks U.S. citizen individuals with&nbsp;demonstrated&nbsp;expertise&nbsp;who can deliver programs in English&nbsp;<strong>and&nbsp;</strong>either French or Portuguese.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Priority Program Areas&nbsp;include&nbsp;security; economic prosperity, innovation,&nbsp;technology,&nbsp;and&nbsp;entrepreneurship;&nbsp;energy security, and critical minerals; and American arts, sports, and creative industries as engines of&nbsp;economic&nbsp;opportunity.&nbsp;</p> <p>Selected individuals will be added to the ARS roster following review and interview. Being on the roster does not guarantee funding; individual grants will be made only when a specific U.S. embassy or consulate request matches a roster member’s&nbsp;expertise&nbsp;and availability.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">SOIs...