The 3rd Annual Africa-America Women’s Economic Forum & Trade Expo (AAWEF), a collaboration involving Prosper Africa, a 17-inter-agency initiative of the federal government; the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, Inc. (P.E.C.); the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College; the Access Bank (Lagos, Nigeria); and the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University, seeks to build sustainable, innovation-focused economic relationships between Africa and America through networking and education for women entrepreneurs. With participants from Nigeria, Ghana, and other locations on the African continent, as well as from all over the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Caribbean, the event will include expert-led panels and presentations on the topics of: Branding/Marketing, Manufacturing, International Trade; Innovation, Available Resources, and Leadership of Self & Others; virtual networking opportunities for participants; and a trade expo to provide a real-world opportunity for the women entrepreneurs to sell their products.
Speakers include the following:
- The Honorable Jerry Demings, Mayor of Orange County, Florida
- Herbert Wigwe, CEO & Managing Director of the Access Bank Group, Lagos, Nigeria
- Kenneth Mouradian, Director, Orlando U.S. Export Assistance Center U.S. Dept. of Commerce
- Grant Cornwell, Ph.D., President, Rollins College
- Deborah Crown, Ph.D., Dean, Crummer Graduate School of Business, Rollins College
- N. Y. Nathiri, Executive Director, Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, Inc. (P.E.C.)
- Mary Conway Dato-on, Ph.D., George D. & Harriet W. Cornell Chair, Professor of International Business and Social Entrepreneurship, Crummer Graduate School of Business, Rollins College
- Abiodun Oyebimpe Olubitan, Group Head, W Initiative, Access Bank
- Peter McAlindon, Ph.D., Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Crummer Graduate School, Rollins College
- Pamela McCauley, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the Wilson College of Textiles North Carolina State University
- Tracy R. Kizer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing, Crummer Graduate School, Rollins College
- Chizoma Okoli, HCIB/Executive Director, Access Bank
- Aminah Hamidullah, Knowledge for Living, Inc.
- Dr. (Mrs.) Ajoritsedere (Josephine) Awosika, MFR, Chairman/Non-Executive Director, Access Bank
- Joseph A. Simmons, Founder, The Center for Micro-Entrepreneurial Training
The goal of the Africa-America Women’s Economic Forum is to create viable, replicable business models which will assist in entrepreneurship development of women in Africa and African-American women in the United States, and to foster long-term, actionable networking opportunities among participants.
