World Maritime Week 2004: Agribusiness in the African Union

Sacramento, California - World Maritime Week was created to expand education and community outreach of the vision developed by our International Maritime Organization.

Visit http://www.imo.org. and http://www.worldmaritimeweek.com

Christopher Columbus convinced the leadership of his day that the world was not flat and nobody would sail off the edge of the earth sailing west, we attempt to convince the leadership of our day that expanding modern maritime capacity on the continent of Africa is a way to expand business development of strategic underutilized Ports in our United States.

Featured in middle of our California State Capitol Rotunda is a beautiful marble statue of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella agreeing to finance and develop Spanish exploration of the New World. Today, we prepare for the first major US – Africa Agribusiness Conference November 2004, Monterey, CA by reinforcing a unique opportunity to develop our maritime infrastructure as a strategic United States Port in a collaborative partnership with our world’s leading Agriculture Industry corporations and the African Union.

Our homeport of World Maritime Week, the Port of Sacramento, is the best example of a niche’ Agricultural port that suffers from the lack of community support, business development and maritime security. There is a solid foundation for an expanded vision of future innovation.

Our biannual World Maritime Week Conference 2003 featured a contingent of key members of the Africa – US International Chamber of Commerce, Sacramento Port Director, Chair, Sacramento Port Commission, California Agriculture Export Director, California Maritime Academy staff and California Assembly Legislative Port Committee members.

As Executive Secretary for the African Union, Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association, and Chair of World Maritime Week 2003, it remains my role and responsibility to embrace the capacity utilization of the Ports of California as a cornerstone of a strategic collaborative relationship of our California Agricultural Industry and the further develop the Agricultural potential in our African Union.

The African Founding Father of California, Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr., was a catalyst to build the Port of San Francisco and he sailed the only steam vessel in pre-Gold Rush California up the Sacramento River to our early Port of Sacramento to establish California’s Agricultural Export Industry. His steam vessel is seen on our California State Seal as a reminder of the need for modern innovation.

The Port of San Francisco continues to consider recognizing the Honorable William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. a early founding father of San Francisco who is recognized as the "African Founding Father of California."

Our world leading organic community, biotechnology industry and historic maritime legacy is facing possible diminished market potential by not seizing the opportunity for our regional maritime industry to provide leadership in expanding business development in the African Union.

World Maritime Week Conference 2005 will bring Global Maritime Technology industry leaders to Northern California to share an industry focus of securing and developing long-term commitments to toward a prosperous future for all Ports in our international marketplace. 90% of world trade is waterborne thus a vital component to our Regional Transportation Infrastructure is worth renewed investment.

Our journey must honors the men and women of our Age of Sail who first brought maritime development to the Golden State. Our early Maritime Pioneers provided a wonderful legacy upon which we should stand together and build a Golden future for our California Maritime Ports.