Image Courtesy: Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Wednesday, July 16th, 2014
New York (TADIAS) – High level officials from five of Africa’s largest economies: Algeria, Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa, are expected to visit Chicago this month for aviation and rail focused meetings hosted by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The visit will take place July 30 – August 1, 2014, prior to the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, which will be hosted by President Obama on August 5-6 in Washington DC.
Due to the level of the delegates and the brevity of the visit, we are told, it is unlikely that there will be any time for one-on-one meetings with U.S. companies at their offices. Rather the Chicago gatherings (open to the public) includes a “Welcome Reception” on Wednesday, July 30th at Willis Tower Skydeck on the 99th Floor (Participation Fee: $90 per US Business) as well as “Dinner on Transportation in Africa” scheduled for Thursday, July 31st at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park (Participation Fee: $120 per US Business).
“The African Leaders’ visit to Chicago, Illinois is designed to share the United States’ experience fostering economic growth through key infrastructure investments by highlighting U.S. expertise in the rail and aviation sectors,” stated the announcement from the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), the organizer of the event. “The African Leaders’ visit is an opportunity for high level officials from five of Africa’s largest economies to convene with U.S. leaders to explore how investments in state-of-the-art transportation infrastructure drive economic growth.”
Organizers note that representatives from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) will also take part in the conference. The list of ministers confirmed to participate include Amar Tou (Minister of Transport of Algeria), Augusto da Silva Tomás (Minister of Transport of Republic of Angola), Workneh Gebeyehu (Minister of Transport of Ethiopia), Idris Audu Umar (Minister of Transport of Nigeria), and Elizabeth Dipuo Peters (Minister of Transport of South Africa).
Per BCIU: “Chicago’s economic strength, like many cities throughout the United States, was built by its strong transportation connections to trading partners across the country and around the world. Its aviation and rail links have enabled an interior city to become a major port for the movement of goods and passengers.”
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Individuals and organizations interested to attend may contact ALVTransport@bciu.org for more information. Or visit: bciu.org
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