African Business Roundtable Held in Collaboration with the 40th Anniversary of the ODUNDE Festival
Date: Friday, June 12, 2015
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Boehne Auditorium
100 6th St
Philadelphia, PA
Join GIC for an African Business Roundtable
Video from the Event
Event Detail
African Business Roundtable Held in Collaboration with the 40th Anniversary of the ODUNDE Festival
The event is now at capacity. To be added to the waitlist for the event, please call 215-238-0990.
Agenda:
2 p.m. | Registration
2:30 p.m. | Welcoming remarks
- Stan Straughter, Member of Board of Directors, ODUNDE Festival
- George Tsetsekos, Dean Emeritus Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business and GIC Chair Emeritus
- Oshunbumi Fernandez, CEO of ODUNDE, Inc.
2:45 p.m. | Keynote Address
- Florizelle Liser, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa
3:15 p.m. | Panel Session: Trade and Investments in Africa
- H.E. Limbiye E. Kadangha Bariki, Ambassador for the Republic of Togo
- H.E. Diabaté Daouda, Ambassador for the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire
- H.E. Joseph Henry Smith, Ambassador for Republic of Ghana
- Hon. Thulisile Mathula Nkosi, Consul General of South Africa
- H.E. Lily Letawo Munanka , Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Tanzania to the United States
- Moderator: Kahiga A. Tiagha, Founder, Tiagha & Associates
4:45 p.m. | Conclusion
- Stan Straughter, Member of Board of Directors, ODUNDE Festival
5 – 7:30 p.m. | Reception, Eastburn Court
- With remarks from Philadelphia Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell
Reception Generously Sponsored By:
Please note that while there is no fee associated with this event, individual registration via our website is mandatory for attendance in compliance with the Law Enforcement regulations of the Federal Reserve Bank.
40th Anniversary of ODUNDE Festival
Created in 1975, ODUNDE provides opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to meet, engage, cultivate, and learn about the African Diaspora’s heritage, communities, leadership and arts. For more information, click here.
Event Location
Speakers
H.E. Professor Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye
Nigerian Ambassador to the United StatesHe was born in Ijebu-Igbo, Nigeria, circa 1947 and received his first degree in History at the University of Ibadan (UI) Nigeria, in 1969. In 1973 he earned a Ph.D., in History also at UI, with a dissertation on "The Political History of the Palwo, 1400-1911." As a Fulbright scholar he studied at Columbia University, the University of North Florida and the University of Florida in Gainesville
H.E. Limbiye E. Kadangha Bariki
Ambassador for the Republic TogoAmbassador Bariki, who joined the Togolese Diplomatic Service in 1991, has also held positions in the Directorate of Economic and Technical Affairs and the Directorate of Political and Legal Affairs (1991-96). Ambassador Bariki is a graduate of the University of Benin in Togo and the National School of Administration in Lome, Togo.
Jannie L. Blackwell
Member of the City Council of PhiladelphiaJannie L. Blackwell, a six term councilperson born and reared in Philadelphia, is a seasoned advocate for social change with a thirty year reputation for serving community members and the poor and underprivileged in the City of Philadelphia, making her a leader in our City with her own vision.
H.E. Daouda Diabate
Ambassador for the Republic of Cote d’IvoireA career diplomat, Daouda Diabaté was born January 1, 1948, in Saoundi, which was in the colony of Côte d’Ivoire, which at the time was part of French West Africa, along with Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), Dahomey (now Benin) and Niger. He earned a B.A. in English at the National University of Abidjan in 1974, a graduate degree in diplomatic administration at the same university in 1975, and a graduate degree in advanced diplomatic studies from the International Institute for Public Administration and International Relations in Paris, France, in 1976.
Oshunbumi Fernandez-West
CEO of ODUNDE, Inc.Oshunbumi Fernandez-West was named by The Philadelphia Tribune as one of the 10 People Under40 to watch in 2011. In 2012, 2013 and 2014 she was named in the Philadelphia Tribune as one of Philadelphia’s Most Influential Leaders.
Florizelle Liser
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)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
Mathula Nkosi
Consul General, South AfricaMathula 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.
H.E. Joseph Henry Smith
Ambassador for Republic of GhanaLieutenant General Joseph Smith, CV, LM (USA) was born in Takoradi, Western Region of the Republic of Ghana on 9th 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. Lieutenant General JH Smith CV, LM (USA) 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.
Stanley Straughter
Specialist in International Business Development and Financial ManagementMr. 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.
Kahiga A. Tiagha
Founder, Tiagha & AssociatesOn 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.
George Tsetsekos, Ph.D.
Francis Professor of Finance and Dean Emeritus Drexel’s LeBow College of BusinessDr. 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.
H.E. Lily Letawo Munanka
Head of Chancery and Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Tanzania to the United StatesLily 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.