Africa Forum: Business and Political Trends in Africa

We are excited to announce our Africa Forum event, being held in partnership with the Minnesota Trade Office.  The event will feature keynote speaker The Honorable Donald Teitelbaum, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the fastest growing regions on the globe and is home to seven of the ten fastest growing markets in the world. The International Monetary Fund has estimated economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa will be 5.6 percent in 2013 and 6.1 percent in 2014.

U.S. trade to and from Africa has tripled over the past decade and the U.S. exported $22.6 billion in goods and services to the region last year.  Africa has growing populations, growing middle classes, increasingly stable governments and increasing trade among African nations. With Chinese, Indian and other groups actively investing and interacting with most, if not all, African countries, a common theme expressed by Africans is “Where are the Americans?”

For full details or to register for this event please visit the Minnesota Trade Office event page here >>

About the Deputy Assistant Secretary

As Ambassador to Ghana, Donald Teitelbaum led a major effort to build a special partnership in counter-terrorism. Now, as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, he has the responsibility of overseeing such efforts across Africa.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Teitelbaum is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a degree in Foreign Affairs. He had early postings in Guyana, the Dominican Republic and Lebanon. African postings have included Somalia, Sudan, Uganda as Deputy Chief of Mission, South Africa as Deputy Chief of Mission, and Ghana as Ambassador.

He has worked in the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and has served as Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council with portfolios for Central Africa, East Africa, South Africa and HIV/AIDS. His tenure as Ambassador to Ghana immediately preceded his current position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

Books For Africa is excited and honored to welcome Deputy Assistant Secretary Teitelbaum to this year's Trade Event!