Chicago, IL (BlackNews.com) - Dr. Carl Schramm, President and chief executive officer of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation since 2002, is one of the world's most recognized thought leaders on fostering and advancing entrepreneurship. The Economist has hailed Schramm as the "evangelist of entrepreneurship," and USA Today noted, "On every front, the Kauffman Foundation has worked intelligently to promote and sustain entrepreneurs -- in the fields of entrepreneurship education, research, policy, economic development, and access to capital." Schramm is the author of The Entrepreneurial Imperative (HarperCollins, 2006). He is also coauthor of Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism, with Robert Litan and William Baumol (Yale University Press, 2007), which is now available in nine languages and was named in 2008 one of the "Top Ten Books That Drive Debate" by the National Chamber Foundation, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. An entrepreneur himself, who brings a variety of experiences in business, public policy and academia, Schramm has developed a unique perspective on the financial power of entrepreneurs and how public policies encouraging entrepreneurship can cultivate more dynamic economic growth. According to the organizers of this extraordinary business match-making event, AFREECON is about sharing knowledge. Knowledge that will assist African countries to build a better "mouse trap" for attracting Foreign Direct Investments and achieving economic independence; as well as knowledge that will enable U.S. companies and entrepreneurs to make well-informed decisions about business opportunities in African countries. Event speakers include: Ms. Elizabeth Robinson, President & CEO of Volume P.R in Denver, Colorado, an award wining Public Relations Company; Mr. Stewart Kinloch, Acting CEO, African Trade Insurance Agency; the only Political and Commercial Trade Risk insurer in Africa; Dr. Ian Giddy, Professor of Finance at New York University's Stern School of Business and a former Director of the International Product Group at Drexel Burnham Lambert; Dr. Vijay Mahajan, author of Africa Rising; Why 900 Million Consumers Are Richer Than You Think. Dr. Mahajan holds the John P. Harbin Centennial Chair in Business at McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin; Dr. Dambisa Moyo, economist and author of Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way For Africa; William "Bill" Strickland, President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation; Dr. Paul Tiyambe Zeleza, author of Economic History of Africa; Dr. John Gazvinian, author of Untapped-The Scramble for Africa's Oil; Dr. Pompiliu "Pili" Vezariu, Adjunct Fellow at the Center For Strategic & International Studies; and many others. About AFREECON For more information about AFREECON and for Sponsorships opportunities and Registration, please visit: www.afreecon.org or call Ramesh Kanthilal, Spokesperson and Director of Operations for AFREECON.
About The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation was established in the mid-1960s by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, the Kauffman Foundation is among the thirty largest foundations in the United States with an asset base of approximately $2 billion. For more information about Carl Schramm and The Ewing Marion Kauffman, please visit the organization's website at: www.kauffman.org
AFREECON is the acronym title for Africa's Economic Emancipation Conference. AFREECON takes a three-pronged--holistic--approach to development in African countries. AFREECON aims to improve the flow of investment capital and knowledge to African countries, by helping African countries to build a better platform for marketing business and investment opportunities in their countries, to U.S and International investors and entrepreneurs; To help African countries evolve regenerative economic development strategies that are self-sustaining, through developing a strong entrepreneurial culture and empowering their citizens to respond to business opportunities in their communities; And by helping to ensure that African countries become more sensitized to the damage caused by a reputation of poor governance practices.