WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Black Economic Forum (GBEF) and the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) announced a partnership to support entrepreneurs, business owners, and business leaders with increased access to opportunities, information, networks, capital, training, and technical assistance.

This partnership will work alongside GBEF’s Academy for Advancing Excellence to engage entrepreneurs and business leaders committed to taking action that drives equity and equality. Key priorities of this collaboration will be amplifying resources available to minority women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs) and breaking down barriers within corporate supplier diversity spaces and supplier and business diversity programs.

“Minority and women entrepreneurs and business leaders face barriers to success due to their identity, particularly in an increasingly volatile political environment,” said Alphonso David, president and CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum. “The Global Black Economic Forum is committed to developing partnerships that will drive support to minority women-owned business enterprises and we are thrilled to work alongside an institution like NMSDC.”

MWBEs are one of the most critical contributors to the nation’s economy yet, minority-owned businesses are much less likely than their majority counterparts to get contracts consistent with their availability and expertise and loans to support and grow their businesses. This dynamic creates the need for strategic partnerships to provide additional resources to bring equality and equity to this space.

“This partnership is important because the Global Black Economic Forum and by extension the Academy for Advancing Excellence are committed to empowering entrepreneurs across the globe. Working with organizations like NMSDC and aligning these resources with leaders means that we can take a big step toward equality and equity,” said Aaliyah Haqq, chief operating officer for the Academy for Advancing Excellence.

“While NMSDC has made progress towards our goal of increasing annual revenue for NMSDC-certified MWBEs to $1 trillion, we know that we still have a long way to go. Especially for our MWBEs from the Black community, who, while making up 45% of total certified MWBEs, only account for 13% of our overall revenue. Together with other catalysts for change like GBEF, I truly believe we can address this disparity and build long-lasting generational wealth for not only Black women but all the minority communities we serve,” said Ying McGuire, NMSDC CEO and president.

Highlights of the partnership include:

• Resources and support for MWBEs focused on growth and navigating corporate supplier diversity pillars.
• Working with corporations to break down the barriers in corporate supplier and business diversity programs through education and training.
• Advocating for processes and policies that support sustainable growth for MWBEs.
• Innovative leadership development programming that will guide MWBEs on how to obtain sponsorship and advocacy from their clients.
• Delivering practical programs that expand MWBEs' understanding of how to access capital to scale a business.
• Featured case studies and research to illuminate best practices from entrepreneurs who have achieved a breakthrough.

Representatives of GBEF and NMSDC will kick off the new partnership with a signing ceremony on August 23 at JPMorgan Chase’s regional headquarters (875 15th St NW Floor 10) in Washington D.C. at 4:30 pm EDT.

About The Global Black Economic Forum
The Global Black Economic Forum is an international enterprise focused on advancing the economic interests of the Black Diaspora and other marginalized groups through global summits, workplace training and leadership development, policy advocacy, and thought leadership.

About the Academy for Advancing Excellence
The Academy for Advancing Excellence is a subsidiary of the Global Black Economic Forum. The Academy is a global leadership development company dedicated to reimagining equity, equality, and inclusion. The Academy provides solutions that drive behavioral transformation through coaching, consulting, thought leadership, and research. The firm has earned a reputation for advancing inclusion through innovative and positive disruptive solutions that address policies, systems, and culture. At the core of the work is a focus on building accountability so real results can be sustained. The Academy seeks to shift how the workplace is experienced by ultimately shifting how institutions address and are held accountable on issues of equity and equality.

About NMSDC
Founded in 1972, NMSDC is the longest-operating business growth engine for the broadest group of systematically excluded communities of color (Asian Indian, Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic, and Native American), and our impact goes far beyond the supply chain. It’s about upward mobility for the emerging majority of Americans, an equal shot at participating in the American experiment of free-market capitalism and entrepreneurship. Our work is about correcting the unequal access to wealth-building opportunities. For more information, please visit nmsdc.org.

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Jered Weber
National Minority Supplier Development Council
701.388.7283
jered.weber@nmsdc.org

Michael Franklin
Global Black Economic Forum
michael@day1strategic.com