By Ted Carter
I was very pleased to attend the Corporate Council On Africa’s U.S. – Africa Business Summit May 6th – 9th in Dallas, Texas. There were more than 1,000 participants including 20 African ministerial delegations from countries such as Botswana, Sierra Leone, and Lesotho, as well as 50 corporate sponsors, to include: Axxess, Bank of America, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Google, Hillwood and United Airlines.
An expert panel discussion on cities
Ted Carter with Wisconsin State Rep and state Economic Development board Member Samba Baldeh
I attended sessions on critical mineral mining and investment, special economic zones, Africa trade & investment, the future of cities and an investment forum focused on Namibia. I found each discussion to be rich and substantive, as each senior level participant was focused on facilitating tangible investment and transactions on the Continent. Several compelling themes that were underscored throughout the Summit included the importance of achieving inclusive, indigenous development of Africa’s economic potential, active partnership with the private sector, openness to working with U.S. companies to provide risk mitigation strategies, and balancing the need for economic growth, buttressed with requisite infrastructure to support rapid urbanization. All these initiatives also need to be handled with sensitivity and fidelity to climate change and sustainability imperatives.
Ted Carter with former Clinton teammate and current Export-Import Bank President Reta Jo Lewis