Atlanta Black Chambers Names Outreach Leads for Africa and Diaspora Regions

Just before some of its members jet off for their latest international trade mission to Africa, the Atlanta Black Chambers has named point people for its outreach to strategic countries.

The chamber’s Global Opportunities Committee has appointed what it calls Regional Leads to coordinate efforts to boost trade and investment links with nations in Africa or countries and regions with prominent African diaspora populations, from Colombia and the Caribbean and Panama to the South Pacific. (See a full list below)

These leads will be tasked with brainstorming new ideas for engagement and developing the chamber’s connections in each locale, sometimes in advance of an in-person trip like the mission the chamber is soon undertaking to South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe in early March.

The Global Opportunities Committee is the ABC’s main node of international outreach as Atlanta continues to garner global interest as the “mecca for Black excellence,” the chamber said in a news release.

Indeed, the city’s civil rights heritage, air links to the continent and significant African diaspora populations have made it a common stop for African diplomats seeking to drum up interest in their economies. Global Atlanta last year hosted forums with envoys from Zambia and South Africa, and Atlanta hosted visits from the ambassadors of Zimbabwe, Angola and many other African nations. Ethiopian Airlines last year started a nonstop flight from Atlanta to Addis Ababa, with Mayor Andre Dickens traveling on the inaugural.

In partnership with the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, the Global Opportunities Committee last August led a trade mission taking 20 Black-owned businesses from Atlanta to Cali, Colombia, in partnership with Colombian Ambassador Luis Gilberto Murillo Urrutia, who recently was appointed as acting foreign minister for the country.

Since then, it has ramped up efforts to conduct virtual match-making meetings connecting Black businesses around the world, and it’s planning a two-day conference this fall.

Ricardo Berris, chairman of the committee, said the Regional Leads will help the chamber reach its goal of connecting members with the world.

“Their commitments to our vision and mission align perfectly with our goal of integrating and including Black businesses in global opportunities,” Mr. Berris said.

See the full list of 20 regional leads provided to Global Atlanta below:

NAME	COUNTRY REPRESENTING	COMPANY	DESIGNATION
Stacey Mollison	Guyana	Libra Management Group	President/CEO
Claudine Reid, MBE	United Kingdom	Lloyds Bank Black Business Advisory Committee	Chair
David Jeb Kuteesa	Indian Ocean	Quantum Vert LLC	Chairman
Ency Samkeliswi Litsoane	South Africa	Hemwear Africa	President
George Makore	Zimbabwe	Pachedu Group	Board Chairman
Iruku Makanga	Kenya	Trade With Kenya LLC	Principal
John Colastin	Puerto Rico	Mistolin & Ten Caribe Inc	VP/New Business Development
Johnny Muteba	South Africa	Pan African Chamber of Commerce	Chairman/Founder
Joseph Nzekani	Democratic Republic of Congo	African Community House, Inc (ACOH)	President
Marjé Etheridge	South Africa	Rumble Worldwide LLP	Founder/CMO
Michele C. da Silva-Wagner	Germany	Go Ahead Business	CEO
Robert Francisco Asprilla	Colombia	Goboat Cartagena	CEO
Samuel O. Adeyemi	Nigeria	Media DNA	Founder/CEO
Sandiford Ruel Edwards	Caribbean	Bems Caribe Inc	Director
Cosmas Mamhunze	South Africa	Pachedu Group	Deputy Board Chairman
Christian Andrés Cambindo Riascos	South Pacific Coast	Ecopacifico Tours	Founder
Dadirai Babra Ngwena	Zimbabwe	Biz Global Group	Founder/CEO
Xiomara G. de Castillo	Panama	Afropanamanian Chamber Commerce	Public Relations and Protocol
Stephanie Logan Settro	Liberia	Liberia Chamber of Commerce in the Americas	Founder/Executive Director
Gideon Chibuye	Zambia	Lusaka Chamber of Commerce and Africa Roundtable	Vice President & CEO

Learn more at www.atlantablackchambers.org or www.goglobalconference.com