Presented by Patton Boggs LLP and GoodWorks International

President George W. Bush’s visit to Africa earlier this year showcased Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Rwanda, and Tanzania as democratic partners of the United States, with enormous potential for investment.

We invite you to hear directly from each country’s Ambassador about real-time opportunities for investment in these countries, and to assess how these opportunities align with your company's growth strategies.

His Excellency Cyrille S. Oguin—Ambassador of the Republic of Benin

CYRILLE S. OGUIN has been Benin’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Benin to the U.S. since 2001. Ambassador Oguin, who joined the diplomatic service in March 1978, has wide diplomatic experience, having served both in the central administration of the Ministry of External Affairs and Cooperation as well as several foreign posts. Before his current appointment, he was Director of Human Rights at the Ministry of Justice, Legislation and Human Rights. He is a graduate of the Algiers National School of Administration – Foreign Service – and of the Geneva Graduate Institute of International Studies where he obtained a M. Phil in Law and International Relations.

His Excellency Dr. Kwame Bawuah-Edusei —Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana

Dr. KWAME BAWUAH-EDUSEI has been Ghana's Ambassador to the U.S. (with concurrent accreditation to Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Haiti, and Bahamas) since 2006. Before his current appointment, he served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva and Vienna. As one of the Ghanaian community leaders in North America, he lobbied the U.S. Congress, U.S. State Department, and the World Bank from 1996 to 2000 to ensure sustainability of democracy in Ghana. Ambassador Bawuah-Edusei holds a BSc in Human Biology and an MD from the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. He completed a residency in Family Medicine at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC.

His Excellency Charles A. Minor—Ambassador of the Republic of Liberia

CHARLES A. MINOR has been Liberia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the U.S. since 2004. A native of Sinoe County in Southeastern Liberia, Ambassador Minor had a distinguished career in corporate direction, management, corporate and human resource development, development economics, and private enterprise until he left Liberia in 1983. He is a graduate of the University of Liberia in Monrovia, where he earned graduate degrees in development and human resource economics and in management. He has taught at several academic institutions in the U.S., Ghana, and Liberia.

His Excellency James Kimonyo—Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda

JAMES KIMONYO is the ambassador of Rwanda to the U.S. and is nonresident ambassador to Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. He has also served as Rwanda’s ambassador to South Africa and nonresident ambassador to Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, Angola, Swaziland, Lesotho, and Namibia. He served as governor of Kibungo and Butare provinces before his diplomatic career and was directly involved in efforts to enhance peace and stability at the provincial level. He has also been actively involved in resettlement programs for former Rwandan refugees. He served as director of resettlement at the Ministry of Home Affairs and was country director for Rwanda at UN Habitat for Humanity with the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement.

His Excellency Ombeni Y. Sefue—Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania

OMBENI Y. SEFUE has been Tanzania’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the U.S. since 2007. A career diplomat, he left the Foreign Service in 1993 to work as Speechwriter and Personal Assistant to the President of Tanzania. Ambassador Sefue worked closely with President Mkapa when he served on the Commission for Africa (The Blair Commission) and participated with him at the G8 Summit session that discussed the report at Gleneagles in early July 2005. He studied Public Policy and Administration at Mzumbe University, and holds an M.A. (with distinction) from the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) at The Hague, The Netherlands. He also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Tanzania-Mozambique Center for Foreign Relations in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He has certificates in International Negotiations, and in Economic and Social Problems of Developing Countries.