Leading Pan-African bank, the United Bank for Africa (UBA), recently hosted a cocktail reception for US and African business leaders at the Essex House in New York City.

The event was held alongside the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and right after the US - Africa Business Forum (USABF) which was organised by Bloomberg and the United States Department of Commerce.

The Chairman of UBA, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, was host to over 200 global leaders with US Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker as the guest of honour at the event.

Elumelu, who had spoken at the USABF earlier that day after President Barack Obama’s address, re-emphasised that America needs to expand and scale up its policies in Africa and not necessarily make changes to what it is doing on the continent. He thanked the audience and especially Secretary Pritzker and the US Department of Commerce for their support to Africa.

Pritzker, on her part, acknowledged and thanked her colleagues at the Department of Commerce. She commended Tony Elumelu, saying: “Tony is an incredible entrepreneur and pivotal to U.S-Africa business relations. He is a great friend of the US.”

Both Elumelu and Pritzker raised their glasses to Africa.

Also in attendance at the event were former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; Senior Political Analyst, Professor David Gergen; Chairman US EX-IM Bank, Fred Hochberg; President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Elizabeth Littlefield; US Executive Director at the World Bank, Mathew Mcguire; CEO UBA, Kennedy Uzoka; former CNN anchor, Zain Verjee; Vice Chairman, Corporate Council on Africa, Ambassador Robert Perry; Founding President of Devex, Raj Kumar; CEO of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Olusegun Awolowo; and CEO of the Business Council for International Understanding, Peter Tichansky, amongst others.

•Photo shows UBA Chairman Tony O. Elumelu and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker at the cocktail reception for US and African business leaders . . . recently in New York.

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