Lehigh Africa Business Club Holds Annual Conference

"Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement: Driving Growth and Innovation in a Virtual Economy"

The Lehigh Africa Business Club's 2021 annual conference is being held virtually May 29 from 9:30 am until 1:00 pm EDT and will be centered around the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement which went into effect this past January. According to the World Bank, the agreement has the potential for lifting up as many as 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty and to raise the incomes of 68 million others who live on less than $5.50 per day.

The Lehigh Africa Business Club's founder and president, Lehigh Business student Michael Tahiru '22, is a double major in finance and African Studies. Lehigh Africa Business Club is an all-inclusive organization that provides a platform for networking and professional development for members of the Lehigh community who have a strong interest in the events and investment opportunities related to Africa. "It's something I've been thinking about since my freshman year," Tahiru says. "A good platform to bring Africans and non-Africans together to understand economics, which is a common language regardless of background."

Tahiru wants to create opportunities for investment in his native Ghana now and after he graduates. He even founded a startup finance company in Ghana that will invest in several African businesses. He'll combine his American experience and connections at Lehigh with his connections back home.

The conference, sponsored in part by Lehigh's Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise, will focus on the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement: Driving Growth and Innovation in a Global Economy. The program outline includes panel discussions followed by Q&A. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to network in breakout sessions.