Business and Finance
Black-owned construction company launches operations in Africa

A brand new partnership goals to offer African Americans a likelihood to return to their homeland with state-of-the-art sports arenas and hotels in several African cities being built by a black-owned construction company.
Smith Choates Holdings, LLC and Urban Icon International have They joined forces for each firms to proceed their commitment to technology advancement, community engagement and economic growth.
“Charles Choates articulated this whole vision of combining sports and the NBA into one entity, including the hospitality component,” Smith Choates Holdings CEO and CEO Darrell Choates Sr. said of his business partner in a phone interview with BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
“We started this group because we want to make sure that we’re investing back into our home country, Africa, and the surrounding areas. We’re very excited to be the U.S.-based organization that’s taking on a project like this, and I think we’ll be taking on additional projects in this area as well. We’re meeting with different government officials about affordable housing, and also about bringing solar to Africa.”
The project, with a complete budget of $812 million, includes the construction of six state-of-the-art multi-purpose sports arenas and luxury hotels strategically positioned in different regions of Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda and Cape Verde.
“These facilities are poised to not only elevate the sporting landscape, but also stimulate local economies and promote tourism,” the Choates Family of Companies said in an official statement. “Each arena will integrate cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices, setting new standards for infrastructure development.”
“Ultimately, the synergy is always there. I’ve always said Africa is home,” said Elton Moodley, who oversees development in Zanzibar. “Welcome home, that’s how we see it for you guys in the States, Africa is home for all of you. The synergy will always be there. It’s about doing exactly what Mr. Choates is doing now: getting off his high horse and making things happen in Africa. I can guarantee you that in the next few years, the best basketball players in the world will come from Africa. That’s a guarantee.”
In recent years, there was a continued commitment to immersing American sports culture in Africa. NBA Academy Africa, an elite basketball training center in Senegal, opened in 2018 through a partnership between the NBA and SEED Project (Sports for Education and Economic Development), a nonprofit organization based in Thies, Senegal.
This concept continues with current developments led by a black-owned construction company that is a component of the Choates Family of Companies, Urban Icon International, Black Pearl Investments and Prosper Africa.
Additionally, the partnership will undertake initiatives to construct over 10,000 reasonably priced housing units across Africa, integrating cutting-edge energy and technology solutions into reasonably priced housing designs and ensuring improved accessibility and sustainability for communities while reducing costs and environmental impact.
The group expects the project, which is already underway, to be accomplished inside the subsequent five years, barring any delays.
Business and Finance
This additional social insurance payment arrives for specific pensioners, disability recipients –

The social security administration (SSA) confirmed that thousands and thousands of social security beneficiaries within the United States will receive the following monthly payment on April 16. This upcoming payment is a component of the agreed monthly schedule and can provide key financial support for eligible pensioners, people receiving advantages for disability and survival.
For many Americans, these regular social insurance payments are a vital cornerstone of their monthly income, helping in basic maintenance costs, comparable to flats, healthcare and foodstuffs. Seeding receipt of those advantages can significantly affect their each day financial stability, especially for those that rely largely or exclusively on social insurance. Beneficiaries who selected a direct deposit normally see their funds faster, often on the identical day of payment.
Who receives the payment on April 16?
Social insurance payment scheduled for April 16 will likely be directed to a specific segment of the beneficiary’s population. To qualify for this particular control, recipients must meet two key criteria:
- Their social insurance advantages had to start out in May 1997 or later.
- Their date of birth must fall between 11 and 20 months.
This group of eligibility includes:
- Retired employees receiving social security retirement advantages.
- Persons receiving advantages from social insurance insurance (SSDI).
- The widows and widowers receive the advantages of the survivors.
In addition to meeting the necessities of starting the date of birth and advantages, beneficiaries who decided to receive payments via direct payment can predict faster access to their funds. Those who still receive paper checks or haven’t yet enrolled in electronic payments could also be a slight delay attributable to the time of providing services and procedures for processing banks.
Other payments in the sector of social insurance in April
After the distribution of April 16, SSA has one final payment planned for April:
- April 23: This payment is decided for beneficiaries whose birth dates fall between 21 and 31 months, provided that their social insurance advantages also began after May 1997.
Thanks to this final distribution of the SSA, it should end its 4 -seater cycle in April. The system of stunning payments by the Agency throughout the month, based on the date of birth of the recipient and the date of originally demanding advantages, goals to make sure a more improved and managing distribution process.
SSA still encourages all beneficiaries to enroll for a direct deposit, emphasizing that it stays essentially the most efficient and protected approach to receiving social insurance funds, providing timely access to key income.
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Business and Finance
Delaware State Hosts Pitch Contest for Agrictech throughout HBCUS

Delaware State University and Capital One Financial organized a contest for HBCU entrepreneurs developing agricultural technological solutions.
“Venture Innovation Venture” took place on the Delaware State campus on April 14. He was hosting not only HBCU students from all around the country, but additionally successful of black entrepreneurs and agricultural experts who joined critical discussions in regards to the industry.
DSU partnership from Capital One for this national conference tries to encourage Next generation of agrobiznesa leaders.
“Delaware State University proudly continues our cooperation with Capital One and provides the platform to raise the next generation of Agribusiness leaders,” said Tony Allen, president of Delaware State University, said in a press release. “Entrepreneurship is a key basis for building generational wealth. In addition to financing startup seeds, this partnership means that university students will receive mentoring and guidance from private sector leaders on business structures and intellectual properties, equipping them with knowledge and experience to effectively enter the labor market.”
HBCU students, in addition to participants from local high and high schools, learned more about agricultural activities and methods to further develop their products for greater use. Heman Bekele, a scientist and 2024 Kid of the Year, also joined as a speaker to encourage his generation to begin an entrepreneurship travel with tools learned from the speakers series.
Additional speakers were chosen officials, equivalent to the Governor Delaware Matt Meyer, US senator Lisa Blunt Rochester and entrepreneurs of pioneers, equivalent to Daysond John and James Lindsay, general director of rap.
“Agribusiness is the basis of how we develop and produce food, but innovations in the industry remain underfunded,” said Dr. Cherese Winstead, dean of College of Agriculture Science & Technology Delaware State University. “When Americans are confronted with rising food prices and challenges related to delivery, HBCU is incredibly capable of keep a fee for strengthening supply chains and increasing economic growth.
The revolutionary undertaking is the results of an extended -term partnership between Capital One and Delaware State. Because HBCU further determines its impact on the emerging agricultural technological solutions, the undertaking hopes to expand this range throughout HBC, with greater attention to young visionaries shaping these latest ideas.
“Innovation venture means an exciting new chapter of our partnership with Delaware State University, introducing students’ ideas and providing them with the opportunity to solve problems with the real world in front of which the agricultural industry faces,” said Joe Westcott, president of the Delaware market at Capital One. “Capital One and Delaware State University divide a mission to enable this subsequent generation of leaders towards innovation thanks to technology.”
The partnership led to a broadly mentor program, connecting professionals with second yr students. Capital One also awarded over USD 250,000 for the Experimental University learning program, which offers larger profession paths for HBCU students to seek out opportunities within the developing business sector.
“Innovation is actually the cornerstone of agriculture in today’s world. Some innovations are quickly accepted. However, others take more time before they are widely received,” said the Secretary of Agriculture in Delaware Don Clifton. “People who accept the challenge and conduct these innovations are leaders of the upcoming generation in agriculture.”
Summary of the event is out there on YouTube DSU.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lokils33Cri
(Tagstranslate) Innovation Venture (T) Agritech (T) Capital One (T) HBCU (T) Delaware State University
Business and Finance
Brian Cornell meets Fr. Al Sharpton over Dei Rolbacks

CEO of Target Brian Cornell met with the activist, Fr. Al Sharpton in New York. The meeting from April 17 was convened when a well -known retailer still stands within the face of heavy slack and calls for boycotts after withdrawing the initiatives of diversity, equality and integration at first of this yr.
According to To CNBC Cornell, he initially asked for a gathering in response to groups of civil rights calling for big boycotts of the corporate. People call consumers to spend money elsewhere in response to cutting goal on Dei initiatives.
Sharpton repeated these feelings in an interview with CNBC before sitting with Cornell.
Sharpton he said“You can’t come with elections and suddenly change your old positions. If the choices define your commitment to honesty, it’s good, you have the right to withdraw from us, but then we have the right to withdraw from you.”
The leader of civil rights stated in any uncertain conditions that he would also consider a call to a goal boycott if the meeting with Cornell doesn’t prove to be productive.
He asked the CEO to verify the corporate’s involvement within the black community and the duty to cooperate with black firms in the long run.
Sharpton continued: “I said:” If (Cornell) I need to have a sincere meeting, we are going to meet. I need to listen to what he has to say. “
After the initial meeting, Sharpton and Cornell Sharpton called it a “constructive and honest” conversation.
“I will inform our allies, including Father Jamal Bryant about our discussion and what my feelings are, and we will go from there.”
Target is one in every of the various retail juggernaut, including Walmart, Amazon and Pepsico, who this yr eliminated their policy of diversity.
Cornell made this transformation within the goal after taking office this yr. One of his first activities because the president was the tip of programs of diversity, justice and integration (Dei) inside the Federal Government.
This caused a wave effect within the retail world, during which the goal and others implemented politics to strengthen the range of their employees and reduce inequalities towards members of minority groups, withdrawing these initiatives.
Target officially accomplished three -year -old Dei goals in January. Cornell will now not send company reports and data to external groups focused on diversity, resembling the company index of the human rights campaign.
Since the announcement, Cornell stores have recorded a decrease in traffic and sales in goal locations throughout the country.
(Tagstranslate) Reverend Al Sharpton (T) Target Boycott (T) Brian Cornell (T) Donald Trump (T) Diversity
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