Washington, DC — President Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali has confirmed his participation in the fourth biennial U.S.-Africa Business Summit. The Summit, hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), will be held June 24-27 in Washington, D.C. The Summit's theme is "Building Partnerships" between U.S. and African companies.
The Summit is anticipated to be the largest U.S.-Africa business conference ever held in the United States. The goal of the Summit is to promote foreign direct investment in Africa and facilitate trade between the U.S. and the African continent by identifying agents and distributors and building joint venture partnerships. Key private and public sector representatives with the common goal of increasing business ties between the U.S. and Africa will attend. Approximately 2,000 participants are expected.
CCA President Stephen Hayes expressed his enthusiasm about President Toure's participation in the Summit "We are pleased that Mali has decided to play such a large role in the upcoming Summit. We have enjoyed witnessing Mali achieve its first democratic change in power when President Toure took office last year. The President's participation at the Summit reflects his continued commitment to increasing business and investment in his country through establishing stronger ties with the U.S. private sector."
In addition to President Toure, nine other African heads of state have confirmed their attendance, and others are expected to participate. The Summit will serve as a venue to discuss important commercial and policy issues. New policy announcements on issues such as oil & gas, finance and AIDS relief for Africa are anticipated.
This year special emphasis will be placed on linking small and medium sized enterprises. The scope of companies in attendance will range from Fortune 500s to individually owned businesses. Over fifty workshops will cover a broad range of topics related to business opportunities between the U.S. and Africa. Workshop tracts include Agribusiness, AGOA, Finance, Health Care, Oil amp; Gas, Transportation & Infrastructure and Travel, Arts & Entertainment as well as regional and country specific panels. To ensure that private sector partnerships are forged, an array of networking opportunities will be available and facilitated as a crucial element of the Summit.
The Summit will include a U.S.-Africa Trade Show featuring up to 180 booths. The diverse displays will range from large U.S. corporations to local African handicrafts and everything in between. The exhibition will introduce participants to opportunities for inter and intra-continental partnerships as well provide individuals with a meeting space to begin talks.
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The Republic of Mali is one of three countries to be featured at this year's Smithsonian Folklife Festival. On the evening of Wednesday, June 25, all Summit participants will take part in the festival, at which President Toure will make remarks. Mali will increase its presence at the Summit through a "Doing Business in Mali" workshop and a Mali booth at the U.S.-Africa Trade Show. A large private sector delegation from Mali will attend the event.
For additional information or to register for the Summit, please visit CCA's website at www.africacncl.org.
CCA, established in 1993, is a nonpartisan 501 (c) (3) membership organization of over 160 U.S. companies dedicated to strengthening the commercial relationship between the U.S. and Africa. CCA members represent nearly 85 percent of total U.S. private sector investments in Africa. CCA's website is at www.africacncl.org.
