The Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University will host a panel discussion titled "The National Summit on Africa" Wednesday, March 1, at 4:30 p.m. in the Hoyt Fuller Room of the center, 310 N. Triphammer Road. The public is invited to attend.

The panelists will include six faculty members and five students who served as part of the New York delegation to the five-day National Summit on Africa in Washington, D.C., Feb. 16-20.

Faculty panel members include: N'dri Assie-Lumumba, associate professor of Africana studies and women's studies; Ali Mazrui, the Albert Schweitzer Professor in the Humanities at Binghamton Univeristy; Abdul Nanji, senior lecturer in Africana studies; Josephine Allen, associate professor and director of Baccalaureate Social Work in Human Ecology; Ralph Christy, professor of agricultural, resource and managerial economics; and Garry Ford, visiting scientist in crop and soil sciences at Cornell.

The National Summit on Africa was the culmination of a three-year project to promote a fresh approach to relations between the United States and the nations of Africa. Summit participants included African-Americans, representatives of African nations and others concerned about Africa. Participants proposed a new, Marshall Plan-style reconstruction program for Africa as well as approximately 250 recommendations for review by U.S. policy-makers. The plan includes suggestions for improving trade and investment in Africa and encouraging stronger democracy, better education, human rights and peace initiatives.