Thurs, February 07, 2013
11:30am - 01:00pm

MMAC Offices - Wisconsin Room
756 N Milwaukee Ste, Ste 400
Milwaukee, WI 53202

$20 Member
$40 Non-member
$10 Student
(lunch provided)

Contact : Katie Henry:

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (414-287-4141)

In the last 10 years, total merchandise exports to Sub-Saharan Africa have tripled and the middle class is steadily growing. Is this the next market for your company?

This luncheon will provide insights from local experts with global experience:

The Global Economy of Africa and its Effects on Business

Dr. Jeffrey Sommers, associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and visiting faculty at the Stockholm School of Economics, has focused his research and teaching on business development and the political economy of Africa.

Financial Aspects of Doing Business with Africa

Wayne Ramus, vice president with GE’s Global Growth & Operations is also a former chairman of the Sub-Saharan Africa Advisory Committee with the U.S. Export Import Bank. He is currently a member of the Wisconsin District Export Council and director of the Wisconsin International Credit Executives group.

On the Ground in Africa: First-hand Business Experiences

Jane Dauffenbach is president of Aquarius Systems in North Prairie, Wisconsin. For 49 years Aquarius has designed, manufactured and sold surface water management equipment across the United States and to more than 40 countries worldwide. The machines include aquatic plant shredders and harvesters, marine trash skimmers and amphibious excavators.

Aquarius has done business in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt.

Here is some current info on Africa:

“Africa and China have the world’s fastest growing economies. Just a decade back much of the African continent’s economic growth was still in reverse, and China itself had only recently emerged from poverty. Now they, and the interaction between them, make them the most dynamic and fast changing places on the planet. This course explains how, why, and what opportunities and challenges lay ahead.” Doug Savage, UW-Milwaukee

Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank has recently announced the launch of “Doing Business in Africa”. The campaign will promote economic growth, trade and investment in Africa. The United States is pursuing four objectives in Sub-Saharan Africa: strengthening democratic institutions; spurring economic growth, trade and investment; advancing peace and security; and promoting opportunity and development.

Africa’s Consumers are Underestimated

“Are one in three African’s really middle class?”