BY ALAN GREEN

Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) is a leading U.S. business association focused exclusively on connecting business interests between the United States and the African continent. The organization, which came to life in 1993, represents a broad cross-section of member companies from small and medium-sized businesses to multinationals as well as U.S. and African firms.

The U.S.-Africa Business Summit, CCA’s signature event, is the premier platform of its kind, focusing on U.S.-Africa trade, investment, and commercial engagement. It brings together African heads of states, senior U.S. and African government officials, and American and African senior business executives across a range of business sectors including agribusiness, energy, finance, health, ICT, infrastructure, security, tourism, and trade facilitation. The theme of this year’s summit is “U.S.-Africa Business: Partnering for Sustainable Success.”

In the context of this year’s summit, CCA is partnering with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to celebrate MCC’s 20th anniversary and highlight its $10.4 billion U.S. Government investment in infrastructure across more than 24 African countries. From power projects to roads, ports, education, ICT, health and more—MCC’s 42 country-driven development programs address binding constraints to economic growth.

The growing interest shown by both African and American business leaders and officials in CCA’s activities is impressive. Probably the best measure of the organization’s relevance is the fast growth of the number of participants in the summit over the years. According to CCA’s own records, the first summit, convened near Washington in 1997, attracted more than 700 African and American business leaders, including five African heads of state, 70 African cabinet ministers, and a large number of U.S. Government officials. Attendance more than doubled, reaching 1,450, at the Third Summit held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in October-November 2001, only weeks after the tragic events of September 11. President George W. Bush personally addressed the Fourth Summit convened in Washington in June 2003. In sum, over the last 30 years, CCA has hosted more than 50 American and African heads of state and over 15,000 participants at its summits, which are held biennially and annually, sometimes in Africa, other times in the U.S.

Routinely, African officials and business leaders visiting Washington appear before the Corporate Council on Africa. After meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House on July 29, 2012, then-Presidents Yayi Boni of Benin, Alpha Condé of Guinea, Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, and Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire appeared before the CCA membership to appeal for American support for their democracies, including increased investment and trade.

The organization is led by seasoned, top-notch professionals eager to bring their experiences to serve the interests of African and American businesses. A sign of stability, in three decades, CCA has had only three presidents/CEO.

CCA’s current president and CEO, Florizelle (Florie) Liser, brought to the organization the expertise she had earned from her previous job as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa.  So far, the only woman to serve in that position, Liser had also served as Senior Trade Policy Advisor in the Office of International Transportation and Trade at the Department of Transportation from 1987-2000; worked as a Director in USTR’s Office of GATT Affairs and served as an Associate Fellow at the Overseas Development Council (ODC) from 1975-1980.

Jo Melissa Gonzalez who, along with CCA’s marketing director Stacey Pompey, facilitated our interview with the president/CEO—next page—is a certified meeting professional with over fifteen years of experience in the hospitality and meetings industry. She started her meeting planning career in 2006 when she migrated to the United States from the Philippines. She has worked for top luxury hotels in the DC Metro region, such as The Hay-Adams Hotel, The St. Regis Hotel and W Hotel.