The second panel of the Schiller Institute conference of June 30-July 1 entitled, “How the Belt and Road Initiative is Changing Africa,” features an in-depth look at the great potential for economic growth in the continents of Africa and Southwest Asia made possible by the spirit of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Presentations by diplomats, economic experts and historians focused on the refugee crisis, the need for economic development to address the root of war and the displacement of people, and the potential for Africa to become the world’s next economic superpower with the implementation of great projects like the Transaqua water project.