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Conference Agenda 

Tentative Agenda
(Schedule Subject to be Updated)

Agenda | Day 1

Monday, June 17, 2024

Registration/Film Festival Presentations

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Welcome Remarks

Ambassador Diane E. Watson

Retired Member of Congress

Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager Dove

37th Congressional District

Marisela Caraballo DiRuggiero
Director of Trade Development 
Port of Los Angeles

Dr. David Horne

Founder, Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus.

 

Keynote Address:

Honorable Mayor Karen Bass

(Includes presentation by African Brain Bank)

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Synergie Africaine

Mr. Biatcha Jean Stéphane, Executive Secretary

Moukouri Alain Siegfried 2

Ndedi Yvette Mimosette épse Asseng

 

Lunch Speaker:

Michael Mama Operations Manager,

Port Authority of Kribi

 

Africa Rising

A panel of African business and education representatives t will discuss Africa’s current business and investment climate and opportunities.

Moderator:

Pam Anchang,

Immigrant Magazine

Panelists:

Michael Kwesi Ofori

CEO of Investor Hub Company Limited

Ambassador Tari Gold Okpurukre

Ambassador of Peace

Raymond Hans

Chairman, Mont Bleu Sports Management Trading & Investments

Mayor Guy Emmanuel Sabikana

Super Mayor of Kribi Urban Council Cameroon

Louis Yaw Afful

Executive Director, AfCFTA Policy Network

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Bilateral Foreign Direct Investment (BFDI)

A panel of experts will present program models for on Bilateral foreign Direct Investment (BFDI) that advance economic partnerships and bilateral foreign direct investment between the U.S. and Africa by creating structured approaches to facilitating sustainable trade and investment, with a significant focus on Diaspora engagement. Program models will include iTrade, Global LA and Venture Lift Africa.

Panelists:

Wilmot Allen,CEO

Venture Lift Africa

Elizabeth Glynn

iTradeDigital.com

Teri Batch, CEO

Global LA

 

LA-Africa Economic Strategy Presentation

The Mayor’s Office of International Affairs will present and discuss a collaborative

LA-Africa Economic Strategy with support from Carnegie California. The strategy has been developed through a series of “listening sessions” and consultations with LA’s African diaspora, academics, and foreign government representatives. The purpose of the strategy is to identify opportunities, goals, and actions that the City of Los Angeles and partners can take to deepen economic ties between Los Angeles and countries and cities in Africa.

Presenters:

Christine Peterson

Director of International Trade and Investment

Aden Binyam

International Relations Coordinator

 

Consular Corp Presentation

Moderator: Mame Toucouleur

Honorary Consul of the Republic of Senegal-Los Angeles

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The Creative Economy:  Film, Arts, Music, Fashion, Media

This plenary session and follow up workshop will address the need to establish an international link between Pan African Culture, Film, Arts, Music, and Media Networks. The workshop centers on the role of Pan African Film Festivals, Art, Music, Fashion, and independent media in building a unified theme for capturing  and influencing a larger share of the Global Pan African Diaspora Market. Includes Fashion Show

 

Moderator:

Queen Ahneva Ahneva

Founder The African Textile Museum,

Soap Opera Nigerian Actress

 

Panelists:

 

Fashion Panel:

Jacobs Meir

International Celebrity Fashion Designer

QueenSheba

(CEO of Model Mafia and the FASHION WEEK TOUR, with

Dr Abiola Amusat, international celebrity designer, ABC GELE)

Cindy Keefers

(CEO FashionTechWorks.com)

Sunny Moore

(International Pan African Clothing Designer and Entrepreneur, LA SENEGAL)

 

Filmmakers Panel 

(How does it feel to be a Filmmaker in Africa, America? etc, Tell us a little bit about you)

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Director | Richard W. McKeown Mali (And Guinea and Kenya etc)

Director SAMUKELE | Deborah Khumalo-Dludla, South Africa

Director | Ian Gituku Ngene. Kenya

Director | Shihyun Wang, South Africa / Asia / USA

Director | Luana M Graves Sellars, USA SC

Director | Mallory Myers, South Africa USA

Writer |  John D Johnson, LA USA

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FASHION RECEPTION AND MIXER

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6PM to 6:11PM

Mali: The Quest for Peace

Director Richard W. McKeown

in Best Documentary

Mali

1052

 

6:15PM to 6:35PM

South Africa - Rainbow Nation

Director Shihyun Wang

in Best Women Film

South Africa 

1061

 

6:35PM to 6:50PM

Melikhaya

Directors Liziwe Damba, Mallory Myers

in Best Cinematography, Best Women Film

South Africa 

1047


 

PANEL Q&A (Tell us a little bit about your work, the challenges, the triumphs, the merits, etc) OF FILMS - RED CARPET PICTURES AND PODCAST INTERVIEWS

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NOW SHOWING

ZIPPED

 

Director SAMUKELE Deborah Khumalo-Dludlain Best ActressSouth Africa1064

NOW SHOWING
Africa-USA
International Film
Festival Presents

Agenda | Day 2

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

8:00 AM
Registration/Breakfast/Africa USA International Film Festival Presentations

 
10:00 AM

Welcoming Remarks

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PLATINUM SPONSOR | Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Daniel McKorley
CEO/President
McDan Group | Ghana

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Africa, the Sixth Region, and Garveyism as Pillars for Pan African Progress​

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The Center for Global Africa (CGA) and Marcus Garvey Institute for Human Capital Development (MGI) will conduct a panel on creating mutually beneficial relations and pathways for African & Diaspora economic advancement, utilizing the philosophy and practices of Marcus Garvey and the expertise of black scholars and practitioners to advance enterprising initiatives and development with 21st-century impact. The session will focus on Sixth Region platforms to address key intersections of U.S.-Africa governance, policy, and socioeconomics for shared U.S-Africa development, with public and private sector partners, social impact institutions, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as critical drivers. 

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Moderator:

Alicia Clark

Director of Global Partnerships

Center for Global Africa (CGA)

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Panelists:

Dr. Julius W. Garvey

Founder, Chairman & CEO

Marcus Garvey Institute for Human Development

Professor Ezrah Aharone

 Founder & Chairman, Center for Global Africa

Author & Scholar of Sovereign Studies

Jibril Ibrahim-Kano

Coordinator of Digital Transformation

African Union/African Peer Review Mechanism

Dr. M. Chris Gibbons

Founder and CEO of The Greystone Group

Dr. Richard Allen Williams

Founder and President of the Minority Health Institute,

117th President of the National Medical Association and

Founder of the National Association of Black Cardiologists

Dr. Tadios Belay

President & CEO

US-Africa Institute

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Lunch Speaker | Dr. Julius W. Garvey

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Manufacturing and Agriculture Opportunities

Thomas TJ Lofton will lead a discussion on how key manufacturing and agriculture sectors offer exciting prospects for job creation, economic growth, and diversification in Africa. The discussion will feature Africa’s vast potential for manufacturing growth, with opportunities in industries like textiles, automotive, consumer goods, agriculture and more. The discussion will discuss how factors like a growing workforce, natural resources, and increasing infrastructure investment make Africa an attractive location for manufacturing. Additionally, initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area’s (AfCFTA) program to boost intra-African trade and foster economic integration will also be presented.

Moderator:

Thomas TJ Lofton

Founder/CEO, Loftin Impala Parts

TJ Loftin LLC

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Queen Mother Nina Womack

CEO of One World Food Hub

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Youth Entrepreneurship in International Trade

A panel to discuss how Youth Entrepreneurship in International Trade encourages young individuals to start and run businesses that engage in cross-border trade. This can include exporting products or services, importing goods, or facilitating trade between countries.

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Roman Combs

Founder, Roman's Global Enterprise

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Pyramid Exchange Global Trading

The Pyramid Exchange Trade Show powered by NuMondo Trading and Iron Currency Solutions is Connecting World Markets to African and African Diaspora businesses.  Pyramids are found in countries with large populations of people of African descent. These pyramids represent our ancestral connections and our treasurers. The exchange provides a platform to invite trading of goods and services worldwide. These connections level the playing field for micro, small and medium size business to operate in global markets with international strategic partners, world-class investment opportunities and direct-to-market local operations.

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Gala Fary

CEO/President, Iron Currency Solutions

Co-Founder, Pyramid Exchange Global Trading

Desalegn Mesele Fetene

CEO and Founder, Numondo Trading PLC

Co-Founder, Pyramid Exchange Global Trading

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International Air, Sea, and Land Port Relationships

Joe Gatlin will lead a panel presentation that provides an overview and analysis of the status, and challenges facing international ports, and recommendations to improve port infrastructure and trading relationships between the Port of Los Angeles and African air and sea. Ports—air, sea, and land—are the lifeblood of commerce, both domestic and international. Vitally important to trade 

 

Panelists:

Michael Mama

Operations Manager,

Port Authority of Kribi

Marisela Caraballo DiRuggiero
Director of Trade Development 
Port of Los Angeles

Dr. Daniel McKorley
CEO/President
McDan Group | Ghana

Councilwoman Amy Phan West 

Westminster City Council District 1

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CINDY KEEFERS 

FASHIONTECHWORKS.COM 

With Queen Ahneva, Queen Sheba, and Designers

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Closing Reception/Mixer/Fashion Show/Films

 

5:00PM to 6:00PM

Harriet Tubman | From the Railroad to a Spy

Director Luana M Graves Sellars

in Best Documentary 

United States 

1036

 

6PM to 6:05PM

Fisantekraal

Director Liziwe Damba

in Best Short Film 

South Africa 

1048

 

6:05PM to 6:15PM

Sipping Words 

Director Ian Gituku Ngene

in Best Documentary 

Kenya 

1040

 

Q&A Panel FilmMakers(Tell us a little bit about your work, the challenges, the triumphs, the merits, etc) and AWARD CEREMONY, RED CARPET PHOTO OPS AND PODCAST INTERVIEWS

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NOW SHOWING
Africa-USA
International Film
Festival Presents
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