Denise Thomas, director of Africa and Middle East Trade for the World Trade Center Arkansas, attended the U.S-Africa Business Summit 2017 from Wednesday to Friday, June 14-17, as a guest speaker on regional integration and the impact of global trade.

Thomas will join the governor of Kenya's Homa Bay County, Cyprian Otieno Awiti; Herman Mashaba, mayor of Johannesburg, South Africa; Malcolm Beech, president of the National Business League; and Ojeaga A. Longe, director of Tennessee Regional Export Network on the Governor's Panel.

The summit is organized by the Corporate Council on Africa and featured Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross as the keynote speaker. In addition to Ross, the council brought many business and government leaders to Washington, D.C., for the summit. These include Akinwumi Adesina, president of the Africa Development Bank; Filipe Nyusi, president of Mozambique; and Hage Geingob, president of Namibia and many others. Each of these leaders will offer insight and expertise into the current economic relationship between Africa and the United States and how to increase the trade of high quality products.

Other key themes of this summit include navigating the Africa market and Africa's role in a globalizing economy. For more information about the World Trade Center Arkansas' role at the U.S.-Africa Business Summit 2017, contact Denise Thomas.

The mission of the World Trade Center Arkansas is to grow trade and increase Arkansas exports by connecting Arkansas businesses to the world through international trade services. For more information and valuable updates, please follow the Center on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the World Trade Center Arkansas newsletter.