Dear Chief Tunde,

What a successful conference! The presentations were world-class and, as intended, the conference provided the occasion to learn about African business opportunities and investment climate for Americans, especially African Americans. Gaps were bridged, business interests were discussed, and connections were made. Our Center for African and African Diaspora Studies was ably and superbly represented. Scholars, business people, political leaders, bureaucrats, university presidents and professors, religious leaders, ambassadors and consuls–all had the occasion to participate in something extremely big, in a dream much bigger, and in the unveiling of a project of immense proportions. For KSU, it was an honor to be involved in the planning and organizing of the conference. I wish you the best in subsequent follow on activities.

Thanks again for your service to humanity. Bridging the Gap and Building the Bridge was a success!

Sincerely,
Adebayo

Akanmu G. Adebayo, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Institute for Global Initiatives
Kennesaw State University
1000 Chastain Road, Kennesaw, GA 30144
Phone: (770) 423-6336 Fax: (770) 499-3430

http://www.kennesaw.edu/globalinstitute/

http://ksumail.kennesaw.edu/~aadebayo/

August 28, 2007

International Conference and Investment Expo

“Bridging the Gap and Building the Bridge”

An international conference and investment expo (USAfrica Economic Development Conference and Expo) focusing on bridging the gap between Africa and the United States will be held at Kennesaw State University on October 26-27, 2007. The conference is organized by the Africa Heritage Foundation and the Africa World Museum and Center, located in Atlanta, Georgia, and supported by the Center for African and African Diaspora Studies at Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia. The conference is the brain-child of Chief Tunde Adetunji, CEO and Founder of the Africa Heritage Foundation and the Africa World Museum and Center, located on 134 Peachtree Street, Atlanta.

The conference has received the backing of the African Union, the City of Atlanta represented by Mayor Shirley Franklin, the Atlanta Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the One Hundred Black Men of America Inc., The House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States, The King Center, the Office of the Secretary of State, the Andrew Young Foundation, The Providence Missionary Baptist Church, The Housing and Community Development Department of Fulton County, The Advisory Committee on International Relations, the Kennesaw State University, the African Ascension Organization, The Atlanta City Council, The Lieutenant Governor of the state of Georgia and the Consulate General of Nigeria.

To affirm the African Union’s support for the conference, the organization’s Chief of Staff, Ambassador Shinkaiye, paid an official visit to Atlanta in July 2007. Prior to this, the African Union’s Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Ali, also visited Atlanta and held discussions with the city’s political, business and civic leaders. Several proclamations have been made in support of the conference and it’s objectives by the Atlanta City Government and the Governor of Georgia.

The vision of the conference and investment expo is that African nations and the State of Georgia will strategically and actively develop and expand mutually beneficial business, educational and cultural relationships.

This conference and investment expo will create an environment where African nations’ interests and Georgia’s interests are presented and discussed by business, civic and political leaders from both sides of the Atlantic. Strategic business, educational and cultural opportunities in Africa and the United States will be identified. Action steps for achieving identified goals will be developed and clearly communicated.

The goals of the conference and expo include the following:

1. To let the City of Atlanta be the platform to explore successful ways to better connect businesses and people between African nations and the United States of America.

2. To identify specific interests and further foster already existing relationships between the two and develop a strategy for successful longevity.

3. To identify specific leaders and business/community/government representatives from Africa and Georgia that can take the dialogue to the next level and ensure a continuum beyond 2007.

4. To develop specific strategies that include the participation of small and medium size businesses in Georgia with specifically identified African nations and their industries in the development and execution
of successful business opportunities.

5. To explore other meaningful venues through which the people of both continents can learn to have a better appreciation of and for one another, to find new advanced real and virtual processes for knowledge acquisition, including think-tank formation and the African Village Project.

6. To build strategies that would include the participation of small/medium businesses both in Georgia and indentified African nations to be included in the development of business opportunities.

7. To felicitate further discussion of the sixth region which is known as Diaspora?

8. To furtherance discussion on the implementation of the capital project in Atlanta, (The African Village), which will be a physical space for knowledge acquisition, high-powered think tank, and virtual tour of Africa.

The two-day conference will draw participants from the business, academic and civil society communities in Africa and the State of Georgia, South America, Brazil and the Carribean. Speakers at the conference will include the Honorable Ambassador Andrew Young; Mr. Jorge Fernandez, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Daniel S. Papp, President of Kennesaw State University; and The Consul General of Nigeria, Chudi Okafor, Joe Beasley and many others .

Also expected at the conference are H.E. Ambassador Ali, the African Union Ambassador to the United States, the Ambassadors from the five regions of Africa, and many other African dignitaries.

Registration for the conference and investment expo is now open. To register and for further information, please visit the conference website at http://africaheritagefoundation.org/home.htm. All questions about the conference may be directed to:

Chief Tunde Adetunji
134 Peachtree
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: 404.588.0404
Mobile: 678.508.5240
Fax: 404.588.0010, 404.588.0020
chieftun@gmail.com