South African archbishop Desmond Tutu, left, and Africa Program Director Dr. Alusine Jollah pose during Tutu's visit to Arlington in 2004.

Founded in 1994, The Africa Program's mission is to promote business, educational, and technological relations between Africa and the State of Texas. Africa represents the world’s new economic frontier - a vast, populous region of unlimited possibilities. As the second largest continent, Africa has enormous undeveloped natural resources and a growing consumer market of over 800 million people. Since education is the key to realizing the human resource potential that is essential for Africa’s overall development, the Program emphasizes educational linkages between Africa and Texas. Given expanding business opportunities in Texas and the efforts of many of its businesses to internationalize or expand their overseas operations, the Program seeks to play a key role in facilitating ties between Texas businesses and Africa.