The US Chamber of Commerce has announced Kendra Gaither’s appointment as US-Africa Business Center (USAfBC) president.

“What an honour to lead the USAfBC and work with our members and partners to deepen the vital commercial relationship between Africa and the US. The USAfBC represents the business community’s belief that there is an opportunity and an imperative to grow the US-Africa trade and investment partnership.

“I’m thrilled to work with our . . . team to create conditions for our public and private sector partners to expand and modernise commercial ties between the US and the nations of Africa,” Gaither said on October 19.

US Chamber of Commerce international policy senior VP John Murphy added that Gaither’s role has been critical to the growing realisation among American business owners and CEOs that an investment in Africa is an investment in their own future.

“She is a dynamic leader whose courage, commitment and vision for the US-Africa economic relationship will take the USAfBC to new heights,” he said. 

Kendra succeeds outgoing USAfBC president Scott Eisner, who is moving on to become BGR Group senior VP.

“I would also like to thank . . . Eisner, founder of the . . . USAfBC for his long labours making the USAfBC into the pre-eminent voice for increasing US-Africa commercial ties,” Murphy said.

Gaither joined the US Chamber of Commerce’s international affairs team as a member of the Americas Department in 2015, where among other contributions she established the US-Colombia Business Council and served as its founding executive director.

She joined the US Chamber of Commerce from Carnegie Mellon University, where she served as USAfBC international policy and innovation executive director and supported the establishment of the Carnegie Mellon University graduate campus in Kigali, Rwanda.

Gaither began her career as a US diplomat, specialising in economic and trade issues in Latin America and Africa for more than a decade. She holds a B.S. degree in economics from North Carolina A&T State University and an MA degree in international affairs. She also holds an MBA in international business finance from George Washington University.