The featured image used in this blog of me and Cameron Evers was taken at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Zambia during tea break at the DCN Africa Launch. Cameron Evers is a Senior Analyst for Sub-Saharan Africa at Emergent Risk International (ERI), a US-based global intelligence firm. I will tell you more in a bit.
So, because I had the longest distance to cover among the speakers coming from Sierra Leone to Zambia (over 20 hours flight), I had to be among the first people to leave for Zambia. For reasons beyond my control, I was among the last batch to arrive when I was supposed to arrive a day before the event. The Asky Airlines from Sierra Leone that was supposed to connect me with Emirates from Ghana to Dubai couldn’t do so because the flight had some issues and couldn’t leave until after a few hours. I will write more about my frustrating experience with Asky Airlines in my subsequent blogs, I promise you.
Arriving in Zambia and after checking in at the hotel, I had already missed out on one of the social activities. I felt bad because I wanted to be part of every moment, but this was a bad start for me, the only bad one.
After checking in at the hotel, there was already a session going on at the hall. I rushed to the hall and as I entered, I could see beautiful faces seated. People from over 40 countries, 25 of which are African countries represented at the event. I decided to go to the table right close to the door where I found Cameron Evers, a Senior Analyst for Sub-Saharan Africa at Emergent Risk International (ERI), a US-based global intelligence firm. I requested if I could sit right next to him and he responded “yes.” I grabbed the seat next to four other amazing people from four different countries. I had the opportunity to sit with four people from Kenya, Botswana, Lesotho, and Switzerland. We were brought together by DCN Global in Lusaka to discuss Harnessing the Digital Revolution: Fostering Resilience and Development in Africa.
After a few seconds, Cameron Evers asked me, “Where are you from?” I responded, “Sierra Leone” and then asked him the same question. He said he is from America. I then asked him about his work and if he had ever heard of Sierra Leone. Cameron responded, “Yes, I had heard of Sierra Leone, mainly because of its civil war. Civil war political science literature and Africa conflict researchers often point to Sierra Leone’s war as one of the main brutal crises of West Africa during the 1990s, early 2000s period.”
For me, I was saddened by the fact that he knew about our country through war, but I completely understand that his work revolves around security, risk, and things like that. I then told him about some of the beautiful things we have as a country aside from the war and Blood Diamond. I told him about our beautiful beaches and how friendly we are as a country and people. In fact, Cameron Evers is currently covering Sierra Leone in his current role a few times, focusing on how Sierra Leone’s risk environment could affect clients, particularly surrounding recent elections and political instability.
Cameron Evers and I enjoyed our few days in Zambia and enjoyed every session DCN introduced us to. During the DCNmetaverse session, Cameron Evers was the jumping man in the metaverse world. He enjoyed using the Metaverse.
At the event, Cameron Evers spoke on a panel, “Where Geopolitics and Technologies Meet,” at the DCN Global Africa launch forum in Lusaka, Zambia. The three-day forum brought together journalists, civil society leaders, researchers/academics, and digital media producers from 35 (!) African countries together (plus two Americans) to talk and present on the digital communications and evolving tech space in Africa. His presentation was amazing and I enjoyed taking photos of him
During my interview with him about his experience at the DCN Africa Launch, Cameron Evers said, “My experience in Lusaka, Zambia at the DCN conference was a whirlwind, as they say. I had never met so many journalists or civil society members before, let alone from 35 different African countries. I learned so much from the conference participants’ stories during our many meals and workshops together, hearing about the challenges and daily life of reporting in often difficult political regimes and evolving digital information environments.”
Cameron Evers is a Senior Analyst for Sub-Saharan Africa at Emergent Risk International (ERI), a US-based global intelligence firm. At ERI, Cameron Evers covers Africa for many multinational clients, providing intelligence analysis and risk reporting. Cameron Evers has been in the intelligence world for seven years and is based in Washington DC.
Originally from Atlanta, GA. Cameron Evers’ interest in Africa began during his internship at the Carter Center in Atlanta, where he focused on covering African affairs for their Democracy Program. This program is dedicated to observing elections and promoting democratic processes in the region.
His research and insights on Africa have been featured in various media outlets, including CNBC, Zawya, The Daily Nation, and The Week magazine. He has also provided briefings on African risk topics to the US government and universities.
One reply on “Meeting US analyst Cameron Evers at DCN Africa launch in Zambia.”
Cameron Evers December 16, 2023 at 2:50 pm
It was great meeting you Sallu. I am glad you captured at least one of our many laughs together in the photo. I enjoyed your panel, our discussions afterward, and your thoughts on Sierra Leone. The conference beckoned questions for further exploration about the many varied media and information environments across Africa, where the grounds continue to shift under our feet.