Following
a trip to Africa in 2015, Nigeria to be precise, Umesiri committed to using the
lessons learned, skills acquired and global networks built as leverage in
empowering people in the continent.
Her
experience spans developing technology solutions and global strategy for
apparel merchandising, manufacturing, finance, logistics and supply chain for
leading brands. She led the team responsible for designing the global sourcing
and supplier management solutions at Walmart in the UK and North America.
As CEO
of Nazaru, a platform that allows
Africa’s exporters to showcase what they want to sell on the global market, and
convener of the Trade with Africa
Business Summit, Umesiri leads a company that drives increased U.S.
commercial interest in Africa by fostering Business to Business (B2B) dialogue
that leads to mutually beneficial arrangements.
Passionate
about empowering women, Umesiri in 2016 was featured in a book titled Leading
Women and also listed as a leading and inspirational woman in technology on the
platform.
Poised
to promote Africa entrepreneurs, she is set to host the inaugural Trade with Africa Business Summit 2018 in
Bentonville, Arkansas. Billed for May
10 and 11, 2018, the summit she
said is designed to promote Africans and their brands globally and network them
with top world entrepreneurs.
“The
timing is right for U.S. businesses to develop effective strategy towards
Africa. By 2050, Africa is projected to have a quarter of the world’s
population, and presently, it has some of the fastest growing economies with
GDP growth rate of five percent or more.
“The Trade with Africa Business Summit 2018 is the inaugural event
that convenes investors, global business leaders, policy leaders, change agents
and innovators driving digital acceleration, sustainable agriculture, global
trade and women empowerment on the continent of Africa,” she said.
The
aim of the event is to ignite a fresh dialogue that educates and showcases
effective strategies for increasing trade between the U.S. and African
countries. It also positions the State of Arkansas as a favorable destination
for African business and political leaders looking to create partnerships with
the U.S.
It
would be recalled that in year 2000, the United States established the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)
to support U.S. trade with Africa. Though some level of success has been
accomplished, U.S. still engages at less than two percent of total global trade
with Sub-Saharan Africa.
“On the U.S. side there are several constraints including lack of
awareness, supporting business data, and misconception and information gap. On
the African side there is lack of information related to available business
partnerships and opportunities for African businesses as well as education on ways
to secure investments needed to build the level of capacity required to meet
U.S standards,” Umesiri
stated.
Speaking
further on the summits, she said, “The Trade with
Africa Business Summit 2018 provides an effective platform to strengthen
linkages by bringing together African and U.S. business and political leaders
and their supporting service providers. Bentonville, Arkansas is the home of
Walmart, the world’s leading retailer, and is a thriving trade and economic hub
and hence the perfect location to establish new trade opportunities. Like many
African countries Nigeria has a huge export potential that is yet untapped and
we want to help close that gap in order to contribute positively to the
economy.”
She
enjoins Nigerians and indeed Africans, who want to export to the U.S. to take
advantage of the summit and participate, stressing that investors, policy
makers, innovators as well as buyers and sourcing technical experts would be
speaking at the event.
According
to her, “We encourage those who want to export to the
U.S. to participate. We have engaged partnerships with the Arkansas World Trade
Center, US Africa Chamber and USAID East Africa Trade and Investment Hub. The
Trade with Africa Business Summit is a production of Nazaru LLC, and it is
being executed in support of key organisation like the World Trade Center and
USAID East Africa Trade and Investment Hub and the US-Africa Chamber of
Commerce in Texas.
“We know that creating productive dialogue starts by highlighting
the strengths that Africa has to offer U.S. investors looking to partner on the
continent. There is currently opportunities yet untapped particularly in the
small-medium business communities in Africa as well as the U.S. We are creating
an all-encompassing one-stop shop where SMEs Large Scale organizations across
Africa and the United States can find answers and solutions to trade.”
(Guardian)
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