Africa

Business Training and Entrepreneurship Roundtables in Morocco and Egypt

The mission of the Center of Global Strategies is “to integrate peoples worldwide into the global economy by connecting them with experienced professionals and coaches to establish cross-cultural ties of friendship, investment, trade, exchange of ideas, peace and understanding.”

In the spirit of this mission, we recently traveled to Morocco and Egypt where we delivered a series of lectures on select business topics and hosted entrepreneurship roundtables geared toward helping nascent entrepreneurs to develop business plans for ventures targeting both domestic and international markets.

In the process, we were able to identify and build plans for several domestic business opportunities plus a few others with promise of integration into the global economy, including: production of Moroccan olive oil, export of Egyptian artisan goods, patent of a new technology with strong licensing possibilities, and the creation of a cross-functional media venture. We are also excited to have analyzed and identified next steps for the further development of a small appliance venture in New Cairo which leverages a global supply chain but, until now, has seen only limited sales outside of Egypt. This venture is now poised to sell to other markets in North Africa and the Middle East, with further plans to eventually supply finished goods to the USA.

Through our two-week initiative, we were able to exchange peace with many wonderful people, share many delicious meals together, and lay the groundwork for ongoing friendship, collaboration, investment, and trade. We will look forward to continuing these relationships and taking next steps to support these new friends and ventures in both Egypt and Morocco.

Russ Sandifer
Adjunct Instructor of Business, Wofford College
Business Consultant, NovaRock LLC

Geneva Conference in Uganda

I had the privilege of speaking at the Geneva Conference on National Transformation in Kampala, Uganda on October 6, 2017. The three-day conference focused on transformation of Uganda and its leadership, especially in the arenas of science and technology, business, and industry. Attendees included approximately 60 members of the Ugandan Parliament.

My remarks addressed the importance of Emotional Intelligence (EI) in personal and professional lives. EI begins with being aware of and managing our own emotions, as well as understanding the emotions of others in a social setting. It was a very timely conference, especially in light of the physical brawl that took place in the Ugandan Parliament the week before we arrived.

The Conference was organized by the Geneva Institute for Leadership and Public Policy (GILPP), based in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Science and Technology Policy Institute, Korea (STEPI). Partners included Kumi University in Uganda, and the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology. CGS is partnering with GILPP in its goal of intersecting with and providing training for leaders from around the world. The main GILPP conference is in May each year, and my wife and I will attend in May, 2018.

Initial reports from members of Parliament indicate a very high level of satisfaction with the conference and its outcomes.

Henry Deneen, CGS Executive Director

Visit GILPP’s website here.