Keynote Speech by Nick Checker, Senior Bureau Official for Africa | The Futures Summit

April 10, 2026 • 9:00 – 9:15 am EDT

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Global Development

SBO Nick Checker kicked off the first day of the CSIS Futures Summit with a keynote address highlighting the growing role that U.S. economic interests and national security play in shaping U.S. development policy.

We're making a clear shift: from aid to trade, from assistance to investment, and from dependency to partnership.

— Nick Checker, Senior Bureau Official for Africa

The Futures Summit: A New Era of Development Cooperation

This keynote is part of CSIS's flagship development conference taking place over several days of in-person and virtual convening. From April 10-17, the CSIS Futures Summit will explore how best to navigate and advance this new era of cooperation, paying close attention to the shifts in global leadership, new models and partnerships, and what should come next.

The CSIS Futures Summit is made possible through generous support from Chevron Inc. (Founding sponsor), ADM, Cisco, and the Embassy of Denmark in Washington D.C.

Tags

Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Economic Security, International Development, U.S. Development Policy, and Private Sector Development

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Point of Contact

Nick Checker

Senior Bureau Official for Africa, U.S. Department of State

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