By Susan Herlin,
Sister Cities of Louisville Tamale Co-Chair

Eight business people traveled from Louisville’s Sister City in Tamale, Ghana in 2005 to meet with counterparts in Louisville to consider how best to do business and promote development in our two cities. Louisville and Tamale held three economic development conferences: 1994 and1999 in Louisville and 2001 in Tamale. This series of meetings stimulated interest among business people on both sides of the Atlantic and gave rise to an international business development company, the EconVillage Group LLC.

The conference in 2005 provided participants with information about business opportunities and challenges, and met the needs of specific companies and entrepreneurs from both Tamale and Louisville. Businesses represented included building and road construction, import/export, communications, agriculture and agro-processing.

Program highlights included meetings with state and local officials, sessions on how to establish and manage international business ventures, introductions to potential partners, and information about two Louisville companies, EconVillage Group, LLC and Khafra Engineering Inc.

Speakers representing Whayne Supply Company (Caterpillar equipment); C&M Giant Tire (specialized tires dealer); Pyramid Wear (tailoring and clothing imports);the Kentucky World Trade Center and Jefferson Community Technical College (JCTC) addressed the group. JCTC is currently working with the Tamale Polytecnic to establish training programs for operation and maintenance of road construction equipment in Ghana.

All participants were hosted by Local families who provided a glimpse into American
life, home cooked meals, transportation and opportunities to socialize. The week ended with a dinner at the home of State Senator Gerald Neal and his wife.