Returning home from a Saturday afternoon walk with the dog, I did what has become almost a reflex action and checked Twitter. Bizarrely, there was the president of Rwanda having a go at me over disparaging comments I had made about an interview he gave that morning.

At the conference, Schwartz stressed the need to build long-term partnerships that would prevent low-intensity conflicts from becoming “larger-scale crises that we must confront.”

This feeling of mutually beneficial strategic cooperation rather than exploitation is the result of longstanding Chinese educational and investment projects in Africa.

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith A. McHale is traveling to South Africa and Senegal May 5-13, 2011, to highlight the important role of young Africans in shaping the future of their continent.

One definition of diplomacy is interpretation of domestic policies to the outside world as stated in official documents. Priority in domestic issues is what should be reflected by diplomats. A diplomat as an ambassador for that matter should be a high ranking official to have the confidence in representing their country.

Investors are starting to realize there are business opportunities in Africa. Last year, Barron’s magazine published The Final Frontier, a cover story about investment in the continent. Consulting firm McKinsey published a report looking at African growth opportunities by sector. Boston Consulting Group published a report identifying the top 40 companies in Africa, all with over $350 million in annual sales.

When the $650 million West Africa Cable System landed in South Africa last week, it was a major step forward for a region that remains one of the least-connected in the world. With one East African sea cable connecting South Africa with high-speed Internet systems in Asia and the Middle East, and now a second sea cable connecting southern Africa with West Africa and Europe, South Africa's capacity of mobile phone networks and Internet networks will double.

A dynamic portrait of Nairobi as a modern African city that challenges preconceptions about the continent and journalism is being created by an American photographer and a British journalist.