Black businesses stake claim on Olympics opportunity

Following complaints of being 'carved out' of Olympics contracts, black-owned businesses are no longer waiting to be given a piece of the action.

It is no coincidence that the biggest business-focused event happening anywhere in London during the Olympics is for and about the UK's African and Caribbean communities.

Today registration goes live for the African and Caribbean Business Expo, 4- 10 August 2012, at the five-star Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane, which hundreds of diaspora-owned businesses will benefit from.

Heavyweight business leaders and sponsors from Nigeria, Ghana and the Caribbean are already on board, with international dignitaries, and even presidents, attending.

Baroness Oona King of Bow, the expo's patron, said:

"The London 2012 Olympics provides us with an unparalleled chance to meet business people from across the globe without having to travel the world. Particularly at such a defining time for African and Caribbean economies, it makes sense, with our large diaspora, for the UK to capitalise on the prospects in these markets. The Expo will create a unique space for this to happen and I'm incredibly excited at this amazing opportunity."

The event is the brainchild of London-based businesswomen Em Ekong and Ann Griffin, who have set up a social enterprise focused on business networking for small to medium enterprises (SMEs).

Em Ekong, Director of the African and Caribbean Business Expo (AACBE), said:

“We know that the Olympics will bring a multi-billion pound boost to our economy, but the only way small companies will be get their piece of the pie is by taking it for themselves. The London 2012 bid was won by highlighting the city's ethnic diversity, and our vision is to see that black communities do not lose out on what we all know is a once in a lifetime opportunity for business.”

Originating at www.voice-online.co.uk