TEF, others hold reception for US-Africa Leaders’ Summit

The US Department of State, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) are working together to host an official kickoff event to increase trade and investment between African countries and the US.

The event will kick off President Joe Biden’s US-Africa Leaders’ Summit on December 12, 2022, according to a statement on Thursday.

It will bring together investors, entrepreneurs, members of the Diaspora, influencers, and media leaders to celebrate and strengthen cultural and economic ties between the US and African nations, support young entrepreneurs, encourage relationship-building and deal-making, and highlight the opportunity and energy in the US-Africa investment ecosystem.

Themed ‘The Innovators Gathering: Investing in US-Africa Cultural and Economic Ties’, it will be hosted by the Secretary of State and the Prosper Africa Initiative, in partnership with the USAID and TEF, and will feature a remarks programme and panel discussion, followed by a reception.

The Innovators Gathering is the first event hosted by the US government during the week of President Biden’s US-Africa Leaders’ Summit, according to the statement. It brings together African and Diaspora innovators, entrepreneurs, and US investors for an evening to celebrate and strengthen cultural and economic ties between the US and Africa.

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It said the evening would help bring together African and Diaspora entrepreneurs and innovators with US capital and technology.

“The goal is to make it easier to build relationships and make deals, and to show how dynamic and full of opportunity the US-Africa investment ecosystem is,” according to the statement. “It will show how the U.S. and its partners, like the Tony Elumelu Foundation, are bringing together US and African investors, entrepreneurs, members of the Diaspora, influencers, and media leaders to strengthen cultural and economic ties between the US and African nations.”

It said the reception will honour and strengthen the partnerships between the US and Africa, adding that it would be a landmark for the work that has been done so far and a push for more action in the future.

“It will show the depth and variety of the cultural and economic ties between the US and African countries. It will also show the opportunities in Africa, which has one of the world’s fastest-growing startup cultures. At the event, US government leaders, young business owners, investors, sports stars, artists, and other influential people will talk about the strong ties between the US and African countries,” it said.