Elite African Business Leaders in Israel to Meet with Counterparts in Finance, Technology and Energy Industries

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Jul 20, 2015, 04:18 ET

JERUSALEM, July 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A delegation of influential African business leaders is in Israel with AJC's Project Interchange (PI) and Africa Institute to learn about the country's information and communications technologies, high-tech innovation, and infrastructure development and financing. Members of the delegation include CEOs and entrepreneurs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, and Nigeria.

The delegation marks Project Interchange's eighth delegation from Africa since 2009, and the first from Ghana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To date, AJC's Project Interchange and Africa Institute have proudly brought leaders to Israel from 16 African countries.

This week-long program will introduce these business leaders to Israel's innovative start-up ecosystem and provide them with opportunities to expand their networks by developing a wide array of business connections. Participants will also visit sites of historic and religious significance. A major focus of the delegation's experience will be introductions to leaders and start-ups in Israel's globally-recognized technology and innovation sector and exploring concrete business opportunities through meetings with leading Israeli companies in the participants' fields. The business aspects of the program were developed in collaboration with the Israel Africa Chamber of Commerce.

Africa is experiencing tremendous economic growth and global business investment, and many Israeli entrepreneurs and conglomerates have been operating on the continent for decades. Connecting African business leaders and entrepreneurs with their Israeli counterparts provides a platform to continue strengthening the ties between Africa and Israel and open a dialogue for future collaboration.

As with all Project Interchange delegations, the participants will meet with influential figures across the political, business and social spectrum, and will learn about Israel's history, challenges and accomplishments.

Robin Levenston, Executive Director of AJC's Project Interchange, stated, "As the relationship between Israel and African countries continues to develop, our hope is that these important business leaders, representing diverse countries and constituencies, will find commonalities with Israel and develop partnerships to benefit their communities through high-tech innovation and job creation, which are also key priorities for Israel."

For over 30 years, Project Interchange, an educational institute of AJC (American Jewish Committee) has brought over 6,000 influential figures to Israel from 85 countries and all 50 U.S. states, offering them broad exposure and firsthand understanding of the complex issues facing Israel and the region

SOURCE American Jewish Committee