Pitching an African Town in London

By Mercy Francis

African Town, the brain child of Chief Uzo Owunne Chairman of INGO, started in July 2019 as a concept pitched at the 7th African Ambassadors And Diaspora Interactive Forum (AAIF) event by  seasoned gurus, Mark Higham and Yemisi Mokuolu in translating ideas into reality.

What started as a mere idea has now become a reality when the team of five representing the project, were invited to the London Mayor’s office to pitch their concept to the Deputy Mayor for Business - Rajesh Agrawal.

Mr Rajesh Agrawal said with excitement, “this is what London needs post Brexit! Something that will link UK with Africa! There is nothing of the sort and it’s been long overdue!”

The African Town promotion team were, on the spot, offered two locations in London. One has already been looked at but dismissed for not being suitable for an African Town.

The team, consisting of Chief Richmond MacGrey, Chief Uzo Owunne, Mark Higham, Antony Laurent, and Mercy Francis are still exploring and are in conversation with the London Development Team.

They have also become partners of the Mayor’s Initiative for London Towns and Businesses and were invited to the Mayor’s Ball which was held at City Hall last December. A warm reception with a steel band, drinks and canapés and a great opportunity to network.

The African Town project team have been meeting with potential investors for what sets out to be a £200 million project and are keen to have all interested parties contact them as to how they can get involved with a very exciting ambitious project, a legacy for Africans both in the Diaspora and on the Continent.

The team have also been engaging with similar projects to African Town. One of these projects is the Enyimba Economic Town in Nigeria based in Abia  State. The team met with a representative from  Enyimba Economic City project in Abia State, who is currently doing a similar project to African Town for possible nexus with the African town Project and synergy. The Enyimba Economic City project is headed by CEO - Darl Uzu. The Enyimba project is a special economic zone under the Made in Nigeria for Export theme. The intention is that the Enyimba project will become the preferred investment destination in Nigeria.

The African Town team took on Deputy Mayor Rajesh  Agrawal's suggestion to promote their idea at the African Investment Summit in January. It was a great launching pad for African Town in London in creating awareness to African leaders and investors alike.

Chief Uzo wants the supply chain from start to finish to be of African origin, made in Africa, giving African businesses both home and abroad employment.

The African Town team also connected with the team from Pumela, the South African brand at the IMO event which took place just before Christmas 2019 and attended a Technology & Innovation pitching and networking event, the Leaders in Innovation  Fellowship (LIF) final pitch day in London. The LIF programme brings together the emerging leaders in the global innovation community, providing them with access to high-quality skills training focused on commercialisation, a network of peers in their own country, the UK and around the world, and a rich and varied experience with immediate and long term benefits for their innovations.