GLOBAL BUILDING SOLUTIONS

MONROVIA, Liberia, 28 October 2009 // -- Global Building Solutions (Liberia) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Building Solutions (GBS) of Charleston, South Carolina, today signed a contract with the Federal Republic of Germany to refurbish the site of the German Embassy to the Republic of Liberia. The contract was signed in Liberia on behalf of GBS by Michael P. Murphy, Executive Vice President and Thomas S. Jeffrey, III, Country Manager and by Ambassador Ilse Lindemann-Macha on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany.

GBS recently completed the construction of The RLJ Kendeja Resort Hotel, a four star resort and first of its kind for Liberia. GBS was asked by Mr. Robert L. Johnson, Founder of The RLJ Group of Companies to build the villa type style resort hotel in Liberia. The hotel officially opened in June of this year, but also hosted guests of the International Women's Colloquium held in Liberia this past March. The company currently has a team of both expatriate and Liberian expertise in building and construction and has trained and employed over 300 Liberian tradesmen and women to work on its projects. GBS, in conjunction with its affiliates, has been involved in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of residential and commercial construction projects around the world in partnership with other builders, architects, designers and developers. The company also has an active presence in Gabon, West Africa and has entered into agreement with the Government of that country to build housing.

Media Contact: David Wooten, Charleston, SC, +1-843-881-3590; or Thomas Jeffrey, Monrovia, Liberia, +231-6-533-499

Since a peace accord was signed nearly six years ago, American investors such as Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson have started trying to help change the ruinous image of this small nation that has historic ties to the United States.

Johnson, ranked the third-richest African-American by Forbes magazine behind Oprah Winfrey and Tiger Woods, recalls getting a letter from a viewer suggesting that he buy Liberia — as in the entire country.

Instead, he opened a four-star, $8 million resort last month on the outskirts of the capital of Monrovia, saying he wanted to help awaken business.

"In order for Liberia to move forward, it has to bring in outside business and outside support from various international agencies and corporations," Johnson said in a phone interview. "They obviously must have somewhere to stay."

Indeed, thousands of United Nations peacekeepers and other international workers now live in this nation of 3.4 million people, says the assistant minister for tourism, Scholastica Doe. "This can at least set the ball rolling," Doe says about Johnson's Kendeja Resort & Villas.

Even so, without a plan to target guests who can afford the luxury hotel, where a suite costs $490 a night, the resort will become "another one of those white elephants that just stands there and no one goes near," Doe says.

Kendeja's general manager, Ronald Stilting, knows it will take time. "This is not like switching on the light and everybody is there," he says. "It's about offering people good stuff, and they'll come. There is spending power in this country."

It could be years before businesses thrive. Liberia has an 80% unemployment rate. Most of the country is without electricity and running water. The national police force is unarmed because of postwar disarmament.

Liberia was founded in 1822 by freed blacks from the USA. In succeeding years, a cycle of oppression and tribal rivalries eventually led to a coup in 1980. Charles Taylor, a warlord and former president, instigated a series of civil wars in 1989. The wars claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Liberians and displaced up to a million into neighboring countries. A peace agreement ended fighting in August 2003.

Two years later, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became Africa's first democratically elected female president. Taylor is on trial in The Hague, Netherlands, in connection with war crimes in neighboring Sierra Leone.

After hearing the president speak in 2006 about the need for private U.S. investments to aid her country's slow rebirth, billionaire Johnson, who is no relation to the president, pledged $30 million through his Liberia Enterprise Development Fund. He says Sirleaf asked him to build the resort as a way to encourage investors to visit the country.

"I think what you're going to see are more workers coming into Liberia as these businesses come in to invest," Johnson says.

Other companies are trying to start up and provide much-needed jobs. Charleston, S.C.-based Global Building Solutions, which oversaw construction of Kendeja, is planning to build gated housing communities with paved roads, running water and electricity for Liberians returning home.

Trendy restaurants powered by generators have popped up around Monrovia in the past year.

Hawa-Ellen Knuckles quit her job as an accountant in Lawrenceville, Ga., and moved back to Liberia two years ago. In October, she opened a restaurant downtown called Evelyn's after training her staff of 30, which took four months because most of them had never worked in a restaurant. Knuckles says she is still in the red, like many businesses here, but is beginning to taste success.

Hanté Collins, a refugee in Ivory Coast for most of the war, manages the resort's boutique. She makes about $230 a month. "Liberia is going to rise up," she says. "I really want to see Liberia improved like other countries."

Precious Andrews Greaves opened P.A's Ribhouse in February 2008, to cater to the legions of foreign workers now in Liberia.

Speaking Monday as part of The Riley Institute’s ongoing series on women in politics, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf reminded an audience at Furman University of the strong partnership the United States maintains with the rebuilding African country.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf reminded an audience at Furman University Monday of the strong partnership the United States maintains with the rebuilding African country.

That partnership extends to the private sector, as U.S. businesses assist in Liberia’s redevelopment effort.

Global Building Solutions of Charleston, for example, has set up a sister company in Liberia, said co-owner Ben Gramling, who attended the event. The company recently completed construction of the RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villages there.

“Liberia is starting the process of construction and renewal,” Sirleaf said, noting that the country lacks meaningful infrastructure and needs sewer lines, schools, hospitals and roads.

The country, which was founded by freed slaves from the United States, recently turned on street lights in one town for the first time.

“Just with that you’d see children dancing in the streets because they’ve never seen that before. Other countries take that for granted,” said Sirleaf, who was at Furman as part of The Riley Institute’s continuing series on women in politics.

Now, Liberia must use its rich mineral, agricultural and timber resources to boost its economy, she said.

“We must put the private sector at the center of that effort,” Sirleaf said.

Known as Africa’s “Iron Lady,” Sirleaf is the first woman to lead an African country, elected president in 2005 after years of authoritarian rule and civil war in Liberia.

An economist trained at Harvard University, Sirleaf has been an executive at World Bank, Citicorp and HSB Equator. She directed the U.N. Development Project for Africa.

“I waited on tables and cleaned floors like everyone else to get an education,” Sirleaf recalled of her time in the United States.

She noted that being the first female president there brings great responsibility, as her every remark is scrutinized.

In a country that continues to improve living conditions for women, some of whom were captured to be sex slaves during the 14-year civil war, Sirleaf noted that women played a large role in her election.

“Women decided our time had come,” Sirleaf said. “Men have ruled this country for 150 years, and this time we are going to take charge.”

Now, Sirleaf is charged with rebuilding the economy, erasing a $4 billion debt, fighting corruption, strengthening the judicial system and uniting a country of 16 tribes.

“Our challenge today is to make sure everyone is a Liberian first,” Sirleaf said.

At the event, Sirleaf was presented with an honorary doctor of humanities degree by Furman President David Shi, Furman chairwoman Kathleen McKinney and former S.C. Gov. and U.S. Education Secretary Dick Riley, namesake of The Riley Institute.

The most striking image was one of African school children using the trunk of an enormous tree as a makeshift chalkboard. It's a far cry from the computer-driven Smartboards the first-graders at Fort Dorchester Elementary are used to.

Some of the youngest students at the North Charleston school essentially adopted an orphanage in Liberia. Between Nov. 3-6, they gathered and donated enough used clothes, shoes, school supplies and toys to fill around 25 boxes, which should get to their destination in time for Christmas in the hopes of making the lives of nearly 70 children at least a little better.

"We talked about giving," said first-grade teacher Lisa Ballas, who organized the effort. "And we talked about how even though these are tough times for people who might be feeling the crunch, there are always people who have less."

Ballas' husband, Bill Slosser, is an operations manager for Global Building Solutions, a Charleston-based manufacturing company that has been donating money and time to the orphanage.

The idea of getting the first-graders involved sprang from the lost-and-found pile of clothes that the school accumulates throughout the year. Normally, after enough time has passed, the clothes are donated to Goodwill. Slosser inquired about whether the next round could go to the orphanage instead.

"When I talked to the boys and girls, they were excited about it, and the other first-grade teachers got on board," Ballas said. "Sometimes, this is the time that families are cleaning out closets anyway."

Ballas said the clothing drive fit in with the current lesson plan, as they turned to Africa while studying communities around the world. It was then that Ballas showed pictures of how the children at the orphanage lived. That many of them only had one set of clothes, and school lessons were conducted outside with whatever was available, such as a large tree.

"A lot of them were shocked," she said. "When we talked about the orphans, they asked what happened. We had to explain that the country had gone through a civil war and explain what an orphanage was."

The clothing drive also helped reinforce some of the life lessons the school likes to impart, such as generosity and world citizenship.

"I thought they would learn more by doing something than by just seeing or hearing about it," said Ballas, who also noted that several of the students volunteered to give up their recess time to help pack the boxes of donations. "I was impressed (with the participation). I would say over half donated, and the kids were real excited about it. We're still getting things trickling in."

Thanks to the many donors who provided money to help the orphanage that GBS has adopted in Liberia.

Through your generosity, we have been able to purchase 5 year mosquito netting for every child’s bed. This truly is a life saving gesture! On behalf of the kids, THANK YOU!

A number of donors also have donated clothes to the kids, that to was delivered and is much appreciated.

GBS, during its visit to the orphanage, also handed out basketballs, soccer balls and jump ropes- seeing the joy on the kids’ faces was amazing. The director said that these kids have never had any toys at all.

Our hotel project is going very well. We seem to have a long business future in Liberia and will continue to look in on these kids as they grow up.

I will be keeping you updated on their progress as well and also will inform you if they have any additional needs.

The RLJ Companies and the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)

BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The RLJ Companies and OPIC today agreed to establish a $100 million Finance Protocol that will promote American investment in Liberia. The RLJ Companies will work to develop various projects, including affordable housing and a mortgage facility, for which OPIC will make available financing on a project by project basis.

Robert L. Johnson, Chairman of The RLJ Companies, said that this initiative "is another example of the Government of Liberia's commitment to encourage the private sector to help rebuild the nation. Given the historic ties between our two nations, this collaboration makes commercial sense and has the potential to make a significant contribution to the development of the country."

Jim Polan, OPIC's Vice President, added, "OPIC is very encouraged by the pace and direction of economic progress in the country. National reconstruction in Liberia has been a priority for OPIC, and we welcome the opportunity to participate in projects that contribute to this goal."

The RLJ Companies and OPIC have collaborated on two other projects in Liberia over the last two years. Together with CHF International, The RLJ Companies and OPIC established the $30 million Liberia Enterprise Development Finance Company, which makes loans of $25,000 and $1 million to Liberian businesses. The RLJ Companies and OPIC are also working to complete financing arrangements in support of the 84 room, villa-style hotel that The RLJ Companies is building in Monrovia. The hotel is scheduled to open on March 5, 2009. These initiatives reflect the progress that is being made in rebuilding the nation after 14 years of civil war and the tremendous opportunity that exists in Liberia today.

The RLJ Companies, founded by Robert L. Johnson, owner of the NBA Charlotte Bobcats and founder of Black Entertainment Television, is a diverse portfolio of companies in the financial services, asset management, real estate, hospitality, professional sports, film production, and gaming industries. An innovative business network, The RLJ Companies seeks to target undiscovered or underserved markets; then exercise solid management to achieve results. The RLJ Companies is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, with operations in Charlotte, Los Angeles, Florida, and Puerto Rico.

OPIC was established as an agency of the U.S. government in 1971. It helps U.S. businesses invest overseas, fosters economic development in new and emerging markets, complements the private sector in managing risks associated with foreign direct investment, and supports U.S. foreign policy. Because OPIC charges market-based fees for its products, it operates on a self-sustaining basis at no net cost to taxpayers.

Liberia's New Lap of Luxury

Robert Johnson Plans Posh Resort in West Africa

Typically, you might expect hotel owner Robert L. Johnson to leave the spiel about bed linens and room decor to his marketing types.

But here he is, the BET founder-turned-billionaire developer/financier (among other things), perched casually at the foot of a California king, patting the poofy white duvet, noting the colorful mudcloth laid across it, pointing out the antique tribal African masks on the walls.

This is his model showroom, if you will, and on Monday he plans to unveil it to potential investors and guests. RLJ Kendeja Resorts & Villas will be an $8 million, 85-room, four-star resort on the Atlantic coast of northern Africa, near the capital ofLiberia. Whatever images the world might have of an impoverished country that is still trying to recover from 13 years of civil war, Johnson wants this project to provide a new one.

"There is no hotel inWest Africa like this," he says, sitting straight-backed on the edge of the bed in a crisp blue suit. "This will be a Class-A beachfront property, with great views from the bar and restaurant out to the ocean. This really is going to be something."

Johnson is unreservedly enthusiastic about being the first to take on such a risky, upscale project in a country that has not seen a new hotel room built in 20 years. Slated to open in March, with rates of $150 to $200 a night, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is expected to host the first guests. And, if all goes as planned, she will be followed by ambassadors, multinational corporate executives, foundations and others looking to fuel Liberia's growth.

"There is a window of opportunity, and we have to make sure that the opportunity is realized," Johnson said.

He started thinking about how he might help the country after hearing Johnson Sirleaf talk about its dire needs. That was two years ago, at an annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, a project founded by former president Bill Clinton to bring together heads of state, top business executives, scholars and leaders of nongovernmental organizations to try to solve some of the world's pressing problems. At that meeting, Johnson pledged to mobilize a $30 million fund to helpLiberia get back on its feet.

Johnson hired Witney Schneidman, a deputy assistant secretary of state underClinton, to help define possible projects the fund would target. Schneidman suggested that Johnson focus on helping small and medium-size businesses. He also suggested reaching out to the Overseas Private Investment Corp., aU.S. agency that specializes in helping businesses invest in emerging international markets. With Johnson's assurance that he would put $3 million of his own money toward the fund, OPIC agreed to provide $20 million in debt financing. The U.S. Africa Development Foundation also made a $3 million commitment; and Johnson hired aBethesda nongovernment agency, CHF International, to manage the lending process.

In early 2007, about a year after the Clinton Global Initiative meeting, Johnson visitedLiberia, and Johnson Sirleaf asked him to consider building a hotel.

"Given the long historical relationship between our two countries," he said, referring to the fact thatLiberia was settled by freedU.S. slaves. "I believe passionately that African Americans have a responsibility to supportLiberia much like Jewish Americans backIsrael."

The Liberian government helped find a site on the Atlantic coastline, one that a Saudi prince had expressed interest in but never committed to. Ground was broken in March, and with a labor force of 500 Liberian workers, Johnson said, it should be done within 12 months.

Back home, Johnson plans to host energy, airline and mining executives, diplomats and potential investors at the hotel room inBethesda, to talk about the project and raise their interest in setting up operations in the country.

Once people understand the dearth of existing accommodations in

Liberia

and what Kendeja will offer, in contrast, Johnson said, "we're confident that people will reserve these rooms for long periods of time."

When completed, the resort property, about 20 miles north of Monrovia, will feature a wide expanse of Atlantic beachfront, with palm trees, tennis courts, a spa, health club and swimming pool. Less obvious will be the round-the-clock guards and security center, bulletproof glass, infrared motion detectors and biometric clocks to track employees' comings and goings from the resort.

Steven Radelet, senior fellow at the Center for Global Development who has served as an economic adviser to Johnson Sirleaf but is not involved in the Kendeja project, said security will be a major factor inLiberia's recovery. Still, large projects like Johnson's and the $30 million fund help signal that the country is open for business.

"It's not like all the bad guys just disappeared. They're still there. A lot of them," Radelet said. "But the more people invest, the more jobs are created. . . . The more jobs that are created, the safer the environment is for everybody."

Accessibility is an issue for the Kendeja resort, Johnson acknowledged. The hotel will meet U.S. State Department security standards, but the nearest airport, Roberts Field, is not up to Federal Aviation Administration standards and noU.S. carriers fly into it. (The resort will feature tennis courts that can be converted into a helipad in case of emergency.)

Last year, when Johnson visited the country, Liberians welcomed him warmly but with a note of skepticism.

"Is this the beginning of foreign investment boom forLiberia or is it just a showbiz?" asked the Analyst, a newspaper in the capital.

"This is a philanthropic effort that will make money," he said. Those returns, he said, will help spur reconstruction of the country's schools, roads, hospitals, utilities and businesses.

As many of you know, Global Building Solutions is working on various projects inAfrica. One of our projects is a Hotel project in the nation of

Liberia

Almost 30% of the youth inLiberia are orphans, mostly due to the long civil war that ended a couple of years ago.

Very close to our site is an orphanage that is being run privately by one Liberian man. Our Project Manager in country has adopted this orphanage on behalf of Global Building Solutions, which has 50 children living there. I am going to quote his last email to me:

“These kids have nothing but are laughing and playing. Most of them have been orphaned from the war, either because their parents were killed or because they (the kids) were lost in the war. Some have been dropped off as they only have one parent who can no longer take care of them. When we all got out of the car, they were smiling and came over to us and couldn't wait to touch us. I had one little girl about 9 years old who just wanted to hug me and put her head on my chest....and she just stayed there.

The guy, Daniel, who runs the orphanage pays out of his own pocket to keep it open and functioning. Mark, Robert and I are going to each give the orphanage $300 per month which will cover the cost for the food for the 50 kids that live there. They do not have enough beds for all the kids and about 20 kids are sleeping on the hard floor. So we (GBS) are going to build 10 bunk beds and buy the mattresses to make sure all the kids have a bed to sleep on. They also do not have enough tables and chairs for the kids to sit and eat at a table so, as you can see, they sit on the floor. We are also going to buy them more table and chairs so all kids can eat at a table.

Most of the kids only have the clothes that they are wearing....that is why the one kid has a pin stripe suit on. It's his only clothes. They have no mosquito nets for their beds and Daniel told us that every week at least one child comes down with malaria.”

Global Building Solutions is taking care of paying forthe monthly food costs, extra clothing, beds and tables for this orphanage. I’d like to appeal to you to help us with obtaining the medicated mosquito nets for these kids.

Malaria kills more children than any other disease in the world, including AIDS; and unlike AIDS it is not affected by behavior.

A medicated net is $50.00 USD. That is almost a year’s wages for a Liberian, making it out of reach for the locals.

I’d like to offer the opportunity to “adopt” one of these kids (or several) and buy a mosquito net (or several). Global Building Solutions will ensure that they getto the site, will also take care of ensuring the shipping.

Unlike charities, which give only a portion of the dollar donated, every dime will go to the mosquito netting and it will get delivered.

Thanks for your time in reading this. If you’re interested in helping, please drop me an email at mmurphy@globalbuilding.net.

Liberia: Robert Johnson Aims to Make Coastal Resort A Luxury Vacation Destination

Liberia, just years removed from civil war, may not seem like an ideal place to open an all-inclusive luxury resort. But one group of American entrepreneurs want to change that perception, and do it very soon.

Next spring, the Robert L. Johnson Companies, a large American entertainment, sports and hospitality conglomerate, is expected to open its first property in Africa, a mid-sized complex on a 10-acre beach front just outside Monrovia, the capital. The property, to be called the RLJ Kendeja Resort & Villas, will be the first of its kind in Liberia - a nation better known among European and American vacationers for its history of violence than its climate and beaches. But when the project is completed, it will offer all the features of any high-end vacation spot, including a full-sized pool, spa, salon, tennis courts and workout gymnasium.

“You’ll have all the amenities that you would expect at any U.S. based or European based resort,” said Corey Printup, who is overseeing the project for RLJ. Speaking at a reception for investors outside Washington, DC on Monday, he said: “Once you’re there, you won't want to leave because you’ll have things so good there you won't believe.”

Since its inception, the $12 million project has been of special interest for RLJ’s namesake founder and chairman, Robert L. Johnson. According to a press release issued by the company, he was inspired by a speech given by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2006 in New York about the important role the private sector would play in developing her country. Bob Johnson leaped at the opportunity, mobilizing the funds and partnerships necessary to get the Kendeja project underway. Sirleaf gave her blessing, promising any help that she could provide.

Sirleaf has been “very cooperative,” Printup said, personally ensuring that the corruption and slow movement often associated with doing business in developing countries has been kept to a minimum. In fact, according to Printup, the project so far has only endured one government obstruction, involving a Liberian minister who failed to deliver on a promise to clear the construction site before the project team arrived. For that misstep, Printup says, the minister was replaced, and the project has moved ahead without another hitch.

Even with the government's full cooperation, building a resort in Liberia has not been without its difficulties. “You don’t have access to the typical machinery, manpower, knowledge that you would in the States,” Printup said. Much of the resort, including the villas themselves, were built in pieces in South Carolina and shipped to Liberia for reassembly. The developers have involved as many Liberian nationals as possible in the construction, he said, even training them in the necessary skills on site. But for much of the work to get done, skilled labor has had to be brought over from the United States.

The added expenses do not stop there. Just operating the resort will require more hardware than it would in a developed country: all the water will be taken from wells dug and filtered on the property and electricity will be generated on-site. Since getting technicians to fix those systems in the event of a breakdown could take an inconveniently long time, every system will have built-in redundancy, creating “a self-sustaining island” in Printup’s words, virtually independent of Liberia's unreliable or non-existent infrastructure. Even the beach is going to be brought in from somewhere else and constructed on site, since decades of erosion have stripped the natural sand away. All of this has added significantly to construction costs.

Luxury resorts are a rarity in West Africa. The few exceptions are mostly scattered on the coasts of nations that have never experienced war, such as Ghana and Cape Verde. But even these often fail to measure up to the standards demanded by European and American tourists used to vacationing in the Caribbean and elsewhere, Printup says. As a high-end resort built on the heels of a long civil war in a nation still considered unfit for investment by many, Kendeja will be a first for the region not only for its timeliness, but also for its opulence.

And already the resort has its first reservations. Following the opening next March, delegates attending the 2009 International Colloquium of Women Leaders - including President Tarja Halonen of Finland and President Sirleaf herself - will be the first of what RLJ believes will be a steady stream of satisfied guests, including United Nations personnel, NGO workers and visiting government officials. RLJ also believes that Kendeja will be a favorite among wealthy Liberians. As the resort becomes more established, the company hopes European and American vacationers will put the resort on their list of preferred destinations, although some may choose to wait for the country to develop further, Printup admits.

If all goes well, the project will not be the last of its kind in the West African state. In a press release, Johnson stated that a prime motive for opening the resort was to help to establish a connection between the black community in the United States and Liberia. “I believe passionately that African Americans have a responsibility to support Liberia, much like Jewish Americans support Israel,” Johnson said. “Given the long historical relationship between our two countries, we have a special responsibility to do whatever we can to ensure that President Sirleaf succeeds in her effort to rebuild the country. There is a window of opportunity, and we have to be sure that the opportunity is realized.”

In addition to the resort, Bob Johnson has spearheaded the establishment of the $30 million Liberia Enterprise Development Fund, which provides credit to Liberian entrepreneurs to support small and medium-size business and create jobs. Johnson pledged $3 million and hired Witney Schneidman, a deputy assistant secretary of state in the Clinton administration, who helped to persuade the Overseas Private Investment Corp, a U.S. government agency, to provide $20 million in debt financing. Another $1 million has been committed annually for three years by the African Development Fund, another government entity. The Fund expects to provide credit for more than 1500 businesses and contribute to a substantial strengthening of the Liberian financial sector by integrating local banks into the lending process..

As for what RLJ might do next, Printup is non-committal, but optimistic. “We don't have any solid plans,” he said, but “[Johnson] has already said he wants to do more in Liberia.”

BET’s Bob Johnson adds to the African luxury hotel surge

What makes this story interesting, besides the kind of project the group chose to launch, is also the fact that - as I’ve reported numerous times on this site - African Americans are increasingly putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to Africa’s business development. And with Liberia being a country which was established as a place to send freed African-American slaves, what better place for a serious businessman like Bob Johnson to invest in. Black Enterprise Magazine quotes Andy Ingraham, President and CEO of the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers saying, “It's important to note that this is part of an overall philanthropic effort by Robert Johnson, and you will see more African Americans not only doing increased business with the Caribbean and Africa, but also entering into philanthropic ventures….African American investors have been in talks with developing countries in Africa such as South Africa and Ghana, to build hotels.”. This is certainly a story to watch.

Bob Johnson Liberia Sirleaf In the past few years there’s been a bit of news coming out of new hotel projects taking place on the African continent. From the Hilton Hotels Group to the Rezidor Hotel Group it seems there’s a lot of interest in Africa as a luxury travel destination. Some will say that the shift is part of the overall change in the world’s political climate, where stories of terrorist attacks come out of former tourist “safe havens”. Whether that is the case or if it’s a result of the increased marketing and advertising efforts by African countries such as Tanzania, the fact is that developers are looking to Africa as a premiere destination for luxury travel. But it’s not just the large developers who are jumping onto the trend. Recently Charlotte Bobcats owner and BET founder Robert L. (Bob) Johnson along with a delegation of African American businesspeople announced an agreement with the government of Liberia to build a villa-style, four-star hotel in Monrovia. The project falls under Bob Johnson’s Maryland-based firm RLJ Companies, which with some 135 hotels valued at more than $3 billion, is the largest Black-owned hotel investment company in the United States. The Liberian hotel project is the result of a “commitment” made by Bob Johnson, Debra Lee, Chairman and CEO of BET, and actors Chris Tucker, Cicely Tyson, and actor Jeffrey Wright among others to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the 2006 Clinton Global Initiative Annual meeting. In addition to the hotel, which is scheduled to break ground in March 2008 and open in February 2009, Bob Johnson also donated $3 million to open a new fund which will “provide Liberian entrepreneurs and businesses with the financial and technical resources they need to rejuvenate the country’s economy and foster long-term stability in the wake of two decades of civil strife”.