Lord Boateng in conversation with Alfred Abolarin, followed by a panel discussion. Monday, 21 March 2022. Venue: Black Box, Hill Street.
An event organised by Imagine! The Belfast Festival of Ideas and Politics in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Peace building and the Migrant and Minority Ethnic Council Northern Ireland.
A Celebration of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The Rt Hon the Lord Boateng PC DL was brought up in Ghana and the U.K. and was educated at the Accra Academy, Apsley Grammar School and the University of Bristol.
He has qualified both as a Solicitor and Barrister. He was MP for Brent South 1987-2005 and served in various Ministerial roles in the U.K. Government between 1997 and 2005 joining the Cabinet in 2002 as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and becoming the UK’s first Black Cabinet Minister. He was the U.K. High Commissioner to South Africa between 2005-2009 and was elevated to the Peerage in 2010 as Lord Boateng of Akyem and Wembley.
He currently serves on the International Relations and Defence Committee of the House of Lords and on a number of Commercial and Philanthropic Boards in the U.K., Africa and Switzerland in the Agriculture Water Utility and Development sectors.
A Methodist Lay Preacher, Lord Boateng Chairs the Anglican Archbishops Commission on Racial Justice. He is Chancellor of the University of Greenwich.
Alfred Abolarin, Chair, Migrant and Minority Ethnic Council Northern Ireland:
Alfred was a former Race Relations Officer for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. He is the founder and current Chair of the Migrant and Minority Ethnic Council Northern Ireland (MME Council)
2010 - 2011, Alfred was appointed as a member of the IMB (Independent Monitoring Board) for Maghaberry Prison by the former Northern Ireland Justice Minister, David Ford.
He founded Interact NI, an intercultural organisation in 1999 and ACSONI - 2003. He served as Chair of NICEM (2007-2010). A former programme manager for European Commission joint project across three countries (Belfast, Dublin and Slovenia) which established the African and Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in Northern Ireland (2012). Former owner of a mediation, equality, mentoring and training consultancy firm: Transformative Dialogue and Training Consultancy. A former business owner - Premium Cafe - East Belfast.
Alfred served on several voluntary executive management board positions including: Bryson Intercultural (MCRC), South Belfast Round Table, Institute for Conflict Research (ICR), Centre for Global Education , An Munia Tober etc.
Alfred founded and leads a Christian Foundation in West Africa: Royal Vine and Branches Empowerment Foundation (O2G Foundation) established in 1993.
In 2006, he attended a U.S government-sponsored exchange leadership programme in Boston and Chicago. In 2007, he was amongst the black leaders invited to a UK Wide Commonwealth Leaders event in Buckingham Palace by HRM the Queen and Late Duke of Edinburgh.
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