Organizers of the R400 Summit at The Park Expo and Conference Center September 27-29, hope that the launch of The Park International Trade Hub will have a ripple effect on Pan-African economies and cultures around the globe.
Both the R400 Summit, and the Park International Trade Hub will commemorate the 400th year since the first enslaved Africans set foot on the shores of the English colonies. The goal, organizers say, is to “Reconnect, Reconcile, Reclaim, and Rebuild a transcontinental ecosystem and pipeline of affinity, empowerment, trade and commerce.”
The site of the summit, The Park Expo and Conference Center, boasts 550,00 square feet of open exhibition space, office and showroom space, conference and meeting rooms, a 300-seat café, three commercial kitchens, and 2500 parking spaces. With it being owned by The Park Church in Charlotte, it is one of the largest black-owned conference centers in the country, The Park Expo is well-suited to function as an import and export distribution center for both American and African goods and services.
Organizers believe that the new trade hub will position the African-American community to be in the forefront of America’s efforts to narrow its trade deficit with Africa. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. imported $18.3 billion in goods and services from Africa so far this year while it exported only $15.8 billion in kind to African nations, leaving a $2.5 billion trade deficit.
For their part, African nations endorsed the vision of the R400 movement at the 32nd African Union Heads of State and Government Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in February this year. Leaders called for practical and ambitious initiatives that will build unity among all peoples of African descent.
African Union Ambassador Her Excellency Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, will provide opening remarks on September 27 and participate in ceremonial ribbon-cutting and launch of the Park International Trade Hub on the 28th. African official delegations are also expected to attend.
The R400 Summit will bring together stakeholders in sectors such as Cities and Urban Planning, Higher Education/HBCUs, Energy, Faith, Healthcare, Housing, Media and Communications, Museums Travel and Tourism, Youth Engagement & Empowerment, and Women in Leadership. Cohort groups will meet three times during the summit and be tasked with establishing a plan of action and reporting their findings at the next R400 Summit in Ghana in 2020.
