October 8-11, business leaders from across the U.S. and Africa, as well as Europe, Japan, Dubai and the Canary Islands, convened in Chicago, Illinois during The Corporate Council on Africa’s 9th Biennial U.S.-Africa Business Summit.

Meeting to network, forge business partnerships and explore investment opportunities, these leaders and investors were also joined by government representatives from across the continent to discuss the expansion of private sector trade and investment between the U.S. and African nations.

Benin, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa led delegations to the Summit and presented two-hour long forums on doing business in their respective countries.

H.E. Augustin Matata Ponyo Mapon, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, led a large delegation of nearly 35 business and government leaders from the DRC and addressed Summit attendees during during the opening plenary. In his address, he outlined his government’s plans to enhance economic growth and foster an environment to attract foreign investors.

In addition to the Doing Business forums, the Summit program offered participants more than 30 informative sessions covering Africa’s most promising sectors, including agribusiness, capacity-building, energy, finance, health, ICT, infrastructure and security.

Featuring prominent speakers from Fortune 500 companies, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, the sessions not only presented the perspectives of speakers, but also engaged participants in interactive dialogue.

Visit the Summit website to view the complete list of attendees and speakers, as well as read recaps for each session.

'Resilient Cities' Focus at CCA Infrastructure Conference 2014

The 2014 U.S.-Africa Infrastructure Conference, sponsored by the Corporate Council on Africa, focused on building resilient cities. [The full program is available here.] The event, from October 7 through 9 in Washington, DC, highlighted how major metropolises in Africa are coping with rapid urbanization and the needs of a steadily growing middle class and will also feature current projects and novel ideas within infrastructure development including finance, ICT, water, tourism and transportation. Scheduled immediately preceding the fall meetings at the World Bank, the conference brought together African government officials, international infrastructure experts, and leading decision makers from the U.S. public and private sectors. Erastus Mwencha, deputy chairperson of the Africa Union Commission, was keynote speaker. 

While the plenaries, sessions, networking breaks and expo hall of more than 50 exhibitors offered attendees invaluable connections and resources, there is no doubt that key Summit highlights for many were the Tuesday night Welcome Reception at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Thursday evening dinner cruise on Lake Michigan. The Corporate Council on Africa, in partnership with its members, will continue to build upon the conversations and relationships developed at this year’s Summit. We encourage all who attended to further develop the contacts made and continue to look to CCA for engaging events and programs that support mutual success for U.S.-Africa trade and investment.

Thank you very much to all of the generous sponsors and supporters of the 2013 U.S.-Africa Business Summit, including:

Diamond Sponsors: Chevron Corporation; Exxon Mobil Corporation; Symbion Power. Platinum Sponsors: Atlantic Energy; Dangote Group. Gold Sponsors: The Boeing Company; Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.; General Electric Company; Microsoft Corporation; Dubai Chamber of Commerce; PAE; Heirs Holdings Ltd.; Groupe Jeune Afrique; AllAfrica Global Media; South African Airways; United States Agency for International Development / U.S.-Africa Business Center.

Silver Sponsors: Acrow Bridge; AGCO Corporation; Black and Veatch; Boulle Mining Group; Dentons; Development Finance International, Inc.; DLA Piper; Ethiopian Airlines; Marathon Oil Corporation; Novus International, Inc.; Philips; Procter & Gamble; Standard Bank; United States Pharmacopeial Convention; Walmart.

Bronze Sponsors: Covington & Burling LLP; SAP Africa; Edelman; Greenberg Traurig LLP; Business Books International; EMEA Finance. Supporters: BakerHostetler; Cardno; IBM; Africa Agribusiness Magazine; Afropop; Oxford Business Group; ISOA; Bloomberg Businessweek; IC Publications; FT’s This is Africa; Association of Equipment Manufacturers.