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American and African Business Women's Alliance Selects Corporate Council on Africa as Principal Partner in the United States WASHINGTON, DC: The American and African Business Women's Alliance (AABWA), established to provide training, networking and to promote trade and investment among African women and between American and African women, will locate its U.S. secretariat at the Corporate Council on Africa, in Washington, DC. The organization, chaired by Joyce Banda of Malawi, has located its Africa secretariat in Kampala, Uganda. Sandra Taylor, Vice Chair of AABWA and Vice President of Eastman Kodak Company, said, ‚"Our organization was established two years ago, after our first conference in Chicago. My vision for the association is to empower American and African women to engage in trade and investment in African countries and with the United States. American and African businesswomen have great opportunities to grow their businesses through international trade. The African Growth and Opportunity Act, established to provide duty free entry to the US for thousands of African products, will only be successful for those who understand how and have the means to take advantage of it. AABWA wants to provide American and African women training opportunities, information and contacts to facilitate growth, through exports, and to foster the development of women owned businesses and of female executives." The Corporate Council on Africa, a membership organization consisting of 165 corporations representing more than 80% of all US private investment in Africa, seeks to enhance its programs with African businesses and its focus on small and medium-sized enterprises. ‚"Women are the backbone of many African economies and are increasingly involved in entrepreneurship and trade in Africa. American women have been the primary source of small business growth in our country in recent years. CCA is pleased to establish this partnership with AABWA, as our mutual objectives in these areas can only be strengthened through our new relationship,‚Äù commented Stephen Hayes, President of CCA. AABWA has recently incorporated as AABWA (US) Inc. and has filed for tax-exempt status as a charitable organization in the United States under section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Its U.S. Advisory Board includes women and men executives and business owners with years of experience and interest in Africa. AABWA's last major event was in February 2002 in Botswana, where over 300 women from the United States, 23 countries in Africa and the Caribbean, networked and attended seminars and a training course that was broadcast by satellite to five countries throughout Africa. A full roster of programs and training are planned over the next year in the US and Africa in partnership with CCA, with other business associations and with like-minded organizations. Lauri Fitz-Pegado, member of AABWA's U.S. Advisory Board said, ‚"AABWA does not want to reinvent the wheel, but to partner with existing entities which share our mission. We want to add value through our membership and vast network of women throughout the African continent. Our economy and those in Africa face special challenges today. These challenges of our times require creative use of limited resources to reap high returns on investment. AABWA wants to work efficiently and effectively, maximizing the benefit to our own membership and to all of our partners.‚" For further information about AABWA,
contact www.aabwa.com 1100 17th St., N.W. Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20036 Tel: (202) 835-1115 Fax: (202) 835-1117 www.africacncl.org |
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