Highlighting Trade and Investment in Africa

As heads of state gathered in Washington for the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, Meridian and The Coca-Cola Company hosted a salon dinner on the evening of August 5, 2014. With a goal of discussing “Expanding Trade and Investment in Africa,” a distinguished group of guests including Ministers from Côte d’Ivoire, Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, and Kenya, Ambassadors, U.S. Government officials and the heads of non-profits and think tanks shared their evening at Meridian. Meridian’s President and CEO, Ambassador Stuart Holliday, opened the dinner and Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Meridian’s Chairman of the Board, provided welcome remarks. Mr. Nathan Kalumbu, President of The Coca-Cola Company’s Eurasia and Africa Group, shared remarks with guests, including H.E. Daouda Diabate, Ambassador of Côte d'Ivoire, H.E. Liberata Mulamula, Ambassador of Tanzania, Ambassador Jean Kamau, Chargé d'Affaires, Embassy of Kenya, as well as representatives from the U.S. Treasury, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Hess Corporation, Overseas Private Investment Corporation and The Export-Import Bank, among others.

(From L to R) Hon. Jean Louis Billon, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Commerce with Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Meridian’s Luis Viada and Ambassador Stuart Holliday

World Learning CEO, Ambassador Donald Steinberg, with Meridian’s Sandy Barkan

Ambassador Capricia Penavic Marshall, Former Chief of Protocol, with H.E. Liberata Mulamula, Ambassador of Tanzania

(From L to R) USTR’s Florizelle Liser, Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu, Tanzania’s Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, and Tanya Mulamula.

(From L to R) Eng. George Mulamula of Tanzania, Reta Jo Lewis, and Coca-Cola’s Matt Echols

(From L to R) Monica Ellis of the Global Environment and Technology Foundation, Eng. George Mulamula of Tanzania, and OPIC’s Margaret Kuhlow

Nathan Kalumbu, President of Coca-Cola’s Eurasia and Africa Group, with Hon. Adan Mohamed, Kenya’s Secretary for Industrialization and Enterprise Development