African Business Roundtable
VIDEO June 18, 2015Speaker / Author
Stanley Straughter
Mr. Straughter is a specialist in international business development in the financial management area. With nearly thirty years experience in international development he has lived and worked in several countries on the continents of Africa, Central Asia, the Caribbean and Russia. As a finance specialist, Mr. Straughter has provided services to foreign governments in governance and transparency, worked with finance ministers and provided advice and counsel to governments on trade policy and foreign direct investment. Mr. Straughter speaks French and has considerable experience working with bilateral and multilateral financial development entities such as USAID, African Development Bank, African Development Foundation, Eastern ... Read More
George Tsetsekos, Ph.D.
Dr. George Tsetsekos, serves as the Francis professor of Finance and Director of the Risk Management Center at the LeBow College of Business. He served as Dean of LeBow (2002-2012) and under his transformative leadership the college achieved national rankings and quality milestones in research and teaching. Prior to his appointment as Dean, he served as Drexel’s Vice Provost and Vice President for academic administration and contributed to the completion of the strategic merger between Drexel and MCP Hahnemann University. Dr. Tsetsekos’ extensive research covers the broad areas of corporate finance, investments, banking and international finance. His research contributions include articles ... Read More
Oshunbumi Fernandez-West
ODUNDE, Inc. is a world-renowned cultural organization whose mission is to serve the need for cultural enrichment in the African American community. The organization is known for its “internationally acclaimed event” - the ODUNDE festival which attracts up to 500,000 attendees, covers 12-city blocks, has over 100 arts & craft/ food vendors and has two stages of live entertainment. The festival is the largest African-American street festival in the country. The festival is known throughout the world as one of the original models for African-American festivals, hosting many internationally known African and Caribbean performers, dignitaries, folk artists and cultural leaders. Ms. ... Read More
Florizelle Liser
Florizelle (Florie) Liser is the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). In this position, she leads U.S. trade efforts and investment in sub-Saharan Africa and oversees implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). She also leads interagency negotiation and implementation of a number of trade and investment agreements with Sub-Saharan African nations. Ms. Liser has an extensive background in trade negotiations and Africa. From 2000-2003, she served as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Industry, Market Access, and Telecommunications. In that position, she was responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. ... Read More
H.E. Limbiye E. Kadangha Bariki
Prior to that, Ambassador Bariki served as a technical counselor in charge of economic, commercial and cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (2004-06). In 2004, he was also a member of the Togolese National Negotiating Committee on Economic Partnership Agreements between West Africa and the European Union. In addition, he was chief of staff to the minister of foreign affairs and cooperation from 2000 to 2003, chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of Togo in Gabon from 1998 to 2000, and chief of diplomatic affairs in the presidency of Togo from 1996 to 1997. Ambassador Bariki, who joined ... Read More
H.E. Daouda Diabate
H.E. Joseph Henry Smith
Lieutenant General Joseph Smith, CV, LM (USA) was born in Takoradi, Western Region of the Republic of Ghana on 9 January 1945. He attended Achimota School from 1959 to 1963 and was commissioned into the Ghana Army Engineer Corps in 1965 after graduating from the Ghana Military Academy. Smith is also a graduate of the Pakistan Military Engineering College, the US Army Engineer College, the US Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College. Smith has had a most illustrious and distinguished military career and held several important appointments. He was an instructor at the Ghana Military Academy from ... Read More
Mathula Nkosi
Mathula is currently based in New York where she represents the government of the Republic of South Africa. She has also served as a Consul General in Munich, Germany, from 2011 to 2014. She started her early career in the banking industry, and has had a successful career in Marketing and Communications. She began her public sector career as a Public Relations Officer in Durban, KwaZulu Natal, in 1997. She later moved to Pretoria, Gauteng, where she joined the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa, and later served in the Department of Education as well the Department of Communications. In 2005 she joined ... Read More
H.E. Lily Letawo Munanka
Lily Letawo Munanka graduated at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania in 1981, with a bachelor’s degree in political science, specializing in international relations and French. In 1987, she joined the Center for Foreign Relations in Dar es Salaam and obtained an advanced diploma in International Relations. Munanka has an extensive career in government and serves as head of chancery and deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Tanzania to the United States. She has been the charge d’affaires ad interim since February 2013 and represents the Mission/Government at the International Telecommunication Satellite Organization and at the International ... Read More
Kahiga A. Tiagha
On January 1, 2013, Kahiga A. Tiagha launched Tiagha & Associates. Mr. Tiagha manages the firm. Mr. Tiagha focuses his practice on business, investment and real estate transactions matters, both domestic and overseas. In June 2010, 2013, 2014 and again in 2015, Mr. Tiagha was selected by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Magazine as a Rising Star for his work as a business/corporate lawyer. Prior to the law firm, Mr. Tiagha ran TKC Group, a business consulting firm that advised clients on risk management, developing and executing business growth strategies and securing financing for various corporate and real estate transactions. Mr. Tiagha ... Read More