Recent efforts made in Washington by the Minnesota Africa’s Alliance(MAU) board members and leaders to garner support for Minnesota’s bid to host World Expo 2027, has yielded positive results.
This was disclosed in a official statement by Basil Ajuo, President and CEO of MAU who stated, “In our conversations with Heads of State, Foreign Ministers, Ambassadors, and other high-ranking officials we found strong support for Minnesota’s bid. A number of these supporters are now lobbying other countries on our behalf.”
“Our lobby week began with a briefing for African Diaspora and Consular Corp leaders from Chicago, with a focus on ensuring Expo 2027 benefits the entire Midwest region. In Washington, we’ve met with leaders from Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Liberia, Somalia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Zambia, Guinea, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Chad, Tanzania, Nigeria, Senegal, Angola, Malawi, and the United Arab Emirates.
“Our goal is an Africa-wide consensus in support of Expo Minnesota’s bid to create a powerful engine for economic advancement for both the African Diaspora living in Minnesota and for the continent.”
“MAU has been lobbying government and business leaders during UN sessions in New York, in Paris during the General Assembly gatherings of the Expo coordination body, and in national capitals including Ghana, Cameroon, Tanzania, and Kenya where MAU has organized “Expo and Trade Promotion” delegations.
“Until now, we have primarily been meeting with senior government officials in Paris, New York, Chicago, Minnesota, and in their embassies in Washington DC. Having nearly all African Heads of State in the United States at the same time has been an unprecedented opportunity to make our case for Expo 2027” Mr. Ajuo disclosed.
The US Africa Summit, he intimated, has inspired African Diaspora leaders to become more united than ever before,” adding, “and we will build on this profound legacy by listening, learning and building new partnerships that would benefit the continent.”
MAU Mr. Ajuo pledged, will continue leading trade delegations to African countries to promote our vision of and commitment to two-way trade and investment between the US and Africa. We see the enormous opportunities that an Expo will create for small, medium, and large firms in Africa and in the United States.
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