Most African ambassadors to the U.S. have little engagement with the black community, especially with black business people, according to a guest column in DistrictChronicles.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.-based public relations and government affairs firm.

In foreign affairs, to be posted as ambassador to the U.S. is like winning the Super Bowl, Jackson said in a DistrictChronicles column. It is a crowning achievement for any diplomat.

Jackson recently attended a reception, tribute and discussion for East Africa’s four new female ambassadors to the U.S. The ambassadors include Mathilde Mukantabana of Rwanda, Liberata Mulamula of Tanzania, Oliver Wonekha of Uganda, and Jean Kamau of Kenya.

To have four women from East Africa posted in the U.S. is a historic development in diplomatic circles, Jackson said. He added that he hopes the women ambassadors will do a better job of engaging black U.S. business owners than their male predecessors.

The main objective of ambassadors is to be the voice and the face of their home countries’
foreign policy towards the U.S., Jackson said. They should be the head cheerleader for their country and engage with as many Americans as possible.

Jackson said he is optimistic about the long-term future of Africa. He has traveled and worked in many countries on the continent but he is critical of Africa and many of its ambassadors for what he describes as their lack of engagement with blacks in the U.S.

In his guest column, he challenged the new female ambassadors to do a better job than their male predecessors. “Since women claim to be better listeners than men, let’s put this theory to the test,” he said in DistrictChronicles.

“Madam Ambassadors, each of you stated that you wanted Americans, especially blacks, to invest in your respective countries. Why should we? What is the business case for such an investment? Most African ambassadors have little engagement with the black community, especially the businessman. People all over the world tend to do business with people they know.

There are black business owners who have created and run multi-billion dollar companies in the U.S. and have never had an African ambassador come to meet with them, Jackson said.

“Business owners are not just going to magically show up in your country and want to invest millions of dollars in your country and you have never found the need to establish a relationship with these successful businessmen.

“When your presidents come to the U.S., they always meet with the same group of white organizations: the Corporate Council on Africa, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, or the U.S. Institute for Peace, etc.

“Madame Ambassadors, why is it that your presidents refuse to meet with these successful black entrepreneurs when they are in the U.S.?

“These same presidents would miss their own mother’s funeral to meet with Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, or Mark Zuckerberg, but when it comes to meeting the black owner of a $6 billion IT firm, they can’t find time.

“Madame Ambassadors, how many of you know that there are more than 200 black newspapers in the U.S.? When you are allocating money to promote tourism to your
country, why do you never consider partnering with these black media outlets? Do you think blacks can’t afford to travel or have no discretionary income?

“Before there can be an investment of money; there first has to be an investment of time. Madam Ambassadors, remember, when all is said and done; there is more said than done.”