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In December 2024, Mayor Andre Dickens took a trip to South Africa to reciprocate an earlier trade mission that put Atlanta squarely in the center of U.S.-South Africa engagement.
While the trip continues to pay dividends in the form of trade and tourism, it’s worth looking back on the objectives as outlined by the mayor’s office and the U.S. Embassy, then headed by Ambassador Reuben Brigety II.
The main thrust of the visit was economic development, underpinned by cultural and civil rights connections, as portrayed by a release circulated by the mayor’s office and the embassy.
While on the ground, Mayor Dickens headlined an investment seminar by Standard Bank, whose CEO, Simpiwe “Sim” Tshabalala, was reportedly smitten by Atlanta while visiting with other banks, chambers of commerce and government officials on the initial Phambili delegation in March 2024.
In Cape Town, Mr. Dickens joined a briefing by Wesgro, the trade and investment agency for the Western Cape, which is slated to visit Atlanta again this year during the Atlanta Black Chambers’ Go Global (un)conference Oct. 1-4.
The mayor also got a chance tour the facilities of multinational investors, from Nike’s Shapa Center in Soweto to Amazon’s African headquarters in Cape Town, where he also stopped by the showroom of Veldskoen, a shoe brand that has entered the U.S. market through Atlanta.
Sports, travel and music were also key themes, with the mayor announcing Dec. 9 that FAME Week Africa, coming in September 2025, would highlight Atlanta as its featured destination.
The city will have a dedicated pavilion at the event, which takes place Sept. 1-6, with a group of influencers and creators planning a major activation at the event under the MASSIVE banner. Read more in the AJC here
Learn more about the mayor’s trip here or in the PDF version the release copied below:
Phambili-press-release