I was going through my Instagram feed one weekend, when I saw a post that said and I quote ”The world is getting everything it wants from Africa. Is Africa getting everything it wants from the world?” this caught my attention and got me thinking a whole lot, trying to figure out the best way for African businesses to really thrive and enjoy the full potential of all that we offer to the world. I decided to find out who put up that post, at least to understand the reason behind it, that’s when I found out abut the Trade With Africa Summit coming up on the 1st and 2nd of August 2019 in Chicago. This event is powered by Nazaru, a cargo and freight company founded by Toyin Umesiri.
The Trade with Africa Business Summit creates trade linkages by bringing together business leaders and their supporting service providers from Africa and U.S. to engage in dialogue that will catalyze economic growth for both region.
Over the past 20 years, European, Asian and other large economies have established an increasingly heavy presence on the continent of Africa in all major sectors, including Agriculture, Technology and Infrastructure building. They succeeded in this by not only establishing strong partnerships with the African Government but also with the Africa’s business community.
In 2000 President Clinton established the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to help close U.S. trade gaps with Africa. Although some level of success has been accomplished, trade experts, conclude that there is more room to grow. On the U.S. side there are several trade constraints, including lack of awareness, relevant business data, capacity misconceptions and an information gap. On the African side there is also a lack of information related to U.S. standards, available business partnerships and opportunities for African businesses.
You should definitely plan to attend this year’s edition of the Trade With Africa Summit, if you fall under any of the categories below, or are looking for an opportunity to connect and network with;
- Investors
- Global Business Leaders
- Trade experts (export & import)
- U.S. Government Agencies
- Policy Makers (U.S. & African)
- Buyers
- Technologists & Innovators
- Service providers with Trade Solutions (i.e. Packaging, Shipping, Transportation, Logistics, Banking e.t.c)
- Exhibitors with products and or services
- African Diaspora Community
- Non-profits and friends of Africa
The benefits of this engagement are multi-fold; For the U.S. based business community it serves to showcase the vast opportunities in Africa while highlighting new regions for exports and imports under favorable trade policies,. It also provides the unique opportunity to discuss with high-level officials current concerns or impediments to doing business. For African Exporters, business leaders and Governments leaders, it will offer an opportunity to promote their country, help expand their offerings under Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to create jobs, and increase investment. For African businesses, it will also provide access to the largest importers, help prepare them to pitch their goods, and open a pipeline that can then be continued through sustainable business partnerships.
I believe that the growth potential for African businesses is huge, and it is time for us to take charge and bridge this gap. Click here for more details of the event.