2015 US-Africa Business Matchmaking Conference - Panel One

GAA News - The 2015 US-Africa Business Matchmaking Conference (UABMC) which took place from November 19 - 21, 2015 in Austin - Texas brought together business owners from Africa and the United States to discuss existing and potential opportunities for their goods in both markets.

The 2015 US-Africa Business Matchmaking Conference panel one topic discussion focused on cultural sustainability and the panel featured the following panelist. Nancy Ruth who is a highly sought after cultural consultant providing high impact insight into “Working and Living in Africa.“ She has conducted well over 200 training sessions on African and Middle Eastern culture, to business teams, executives, professionals, and other employees. Nancy was born in Khartoum, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. She has lived in Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Aden (Yemen), Liberia and Nigeria, yielding a broad knowledge of African culture.

Kevin Itima | Co-Founder, Hestia Homes, LLC. Kevin Itima is a first generation Nigerian-American born in Houston, Texas. He is the co-owner of Hestia Homes, LLC. As an acquisition specialist he has the responsibility of creating marketing campaigns that funnel unique and lucrative opportunities to the company. Hestia Homes LLC has completed over a million dollars of construction in the Houston area, ranging from remodels to new homes.

Zac Ziebarth | Founder and CEO, SmartRoots Global Inc. Zac Ziebarth is a teacher, sustainability advocate, and educational entrepreneur. As the CEO of SmartRoots Global, Zac is dedicated to engaging and equipping K-12 education to become a catalyst for global sustainability. After visiting schools on four different continents, Zac created SmartRoots Global to equip and empower a generation to build a sustainable world together.

Panel Moderator Dr. Theresa Mamah | Founder, JUMA Kids Inc. Dr. Theresa Mamah is a Children´s Author, Storyteller, and Musician with the mission to help young readers across the globe create something beautiful out of a difficult experience. Born to a Hungarian mother and a Nigerian father, Dr. Mamah refined her skill of writing after hearing culturally rooted stories from her parents.

Panelist had the chance to discuss the following questions;

Conversation: There is an increasing sense of optimism for the future, purpose about the present, and pride of the past achievements among the people of Africa that is fueling a hunger to make speedier and better decisions. What are the cultural barriers for international partnership?


Conversation: At a time when the international community is discussing future development in Africa, all efforts are focused on putting culture at the heart of the development. What are the key areas where culture can play a decisive role in the sustainable development in Africa?

Conversation: The Africa continent is enjoying a demographic dividend, with the majority of its people being under 25, while life expectancy is also improving. This makes it a young and dynamic continent full of possibilities for its youth that can bring new ideas and bundle them with lessons from the wisdom of the older generation. How to engage young African leaders to promote inclusive sustainable development and gain a better future for Africa´s next generation?


Conversation: How do we foster dialogue that promotes the exchange of ideas and innovative thinking among African policymakers to encourage and enhance research on economic and policy issues related to the development of African economies?

Conversation: According to Africa Investor, family offices and high-net-worth-individuals portfolio allocations to frontier markets are typically only around 5% but they are rising as wealthy families are turning to frontier markets for new growth opportunities and revenues to help compensate for sluggish or no growth in developed economies. How Africa can diversify its economy toward the sector that creates job?


Conversation: How to create opportunities for young Africans in the Diaspora to disseminate their findings as well as share information with African policymakers on the work they do in the region?

The 2015 US-Africa Business Matchmaking Conference (UABMC) brought together business owners from Africa and the United States to discuss existing and potential opportunities in both markets. The event took place from November 19 - 21, 2015 at the Asian Resource Center in Austin-Texas. The event was a high-level global conference that featured business expo, business matchmaking, panel seasons, fashion show, and networking receptions that facilitated effective partnership building for businesses, investors and government´s entities.

The event was endorsed by Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas who said the event is an excellent opportunity for Texas partners around the globe to tap into the entrepreneurial nature of the Lone Star State and help forge stronger business relationships between the United States and Africa, which is a vital connection in Texas expanding global economy.

The event theme was´ “˜Localization and Matching of US & Africa Businesses´´. The event was organized by AFTV5 (African Television Network) in partnership with GABCC (Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce), ALB (African Leadership Bridge) and GAA (Global Attain Advancement). “˜“˜The official event hashtag was: #UABMC2015

The event had a personalized schedule website where conference attendee could sync their schedule, connect with other conference attendees and have live updates at their fingertips. The websites where as follows.
Mobile App: https://uabmc2015.sched.org/mobile
Web App: https://uabmc2015.sched.org/


Africa is one of the biggest market opportunities in the global economy, and U.S. companies cannot afford to miss out. Africa boasts 6 of the world´s 10 fastest growing economies ““ with 400,000 new companies forming in the last year alone. Africa has now developed into a global economic force and we know in the decades ahead, there is no limit to the progress that Africa can make based on the incredible developments going on in Africa.