Ambassador Briefing: South Africa as Atlanta’s Gateway to African Opportunity

Hosted by the South African Chamber USA, Global Atlanta, and Metro Atlanta Chamber, join the Ambassador of South Africa for a business roundtable.

With large diaspora communities, engaged corporations and convenient flight links, Atlanta has long made its case as a launchpad for a U.S. push to deepen trade and investment links to Africa. No country has a better claim as the preferred gateway than South Africa, the continent’s second largest economy and undisputed leader in banking, finance and manufacturing.

Join the SA Chamber USA and Global Atlanta at the Metro Atlanta Chamber for an in-depth discussion with Her Excellency Nomaindiya C. Mfeketo, South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, to understand how companies can use South Africa as a platform for sub-Saharan expansion at a time of intensifying trade integration, tech growth, agricultural innovation, infrastructure development and middle-class prosperity across Africa’s 55 distinct markets.

The interactive conversation with Managing Editor Trevor Williams will explore civil and human rights links that add vitality, historical texture and a sense of shared purpose to the South Africa-Atlanta commercial relationship. We’ll also look at examples of successful cross-border partnerships on both the government and private-sector fronts.

About Ambassador Nomaindiya Cathleen Mfeketo

Nomaindiya Cathleen Mfeketo is South African Ambassador to the United States since March 2020.

Social injustice and the brutality of the Apartheid system motivated Nomaindiya to enter into active politics at a tender age of 23. Nomaindiya played a critical role in post 1976 family support of detained students leading to active engagement with a number of non-governmental organisations (NGO) including the agricultural training NGO ZAKH, the Social Change Assistance Trust (SCAT) and the Development Action Group (DAG) focused mainly on a public housing project

Nomaindiya served as South Africa’s Minister of Human Settlements (2018 – 2019) and Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (2014 – 2018) a role in which she worked closely on the Palestine question, the Middle East Peace Process and BRICS.

Nomaindiya has had an extensive career within the South African Government and has served as the Deputy Speaker of Parliament in South Africa’s fourth Parliament and as the first black woman Mayor of the City of Cape Town. Nomaindiya has an extensive understanding and experience of South Africa’s transition to a multiparty democracy in 1994 and played a critical role within the conflict resolution negotiations between 1993 and 1996.

Nomaindiya has been a member of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) since 2007 to date and serves on the National Working Committee.

She has a keen interest in social justice issues and the alleviation of poverty in South Africa.

Nomaindiya attended school in Cape Town, South Africa and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law by the University of Cape Town in 2000.