Mr Robert Bennet

1. West African Gas Pipeline: (Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana) 1997-2002 / Chevron Overseas Petroleum Corporation:

This project consisted of the construction of a 600 miles gas pipeline (offshore and onshore) from the oil and gas fields in Nigeria to Benin, Togo and Ghana (the primary consumer of the gas). This project cost approximately $1 billion. Robert represented Chevron Overseas Petroleum Corporation as the chief consultant to the Ghana Government and assisted in establishing the necessary relationships with the governments of Benin and Togo. During one year of the five years he worked on this project, he traveled to West Africa a part of every month of the year. The pipeline was built and is now a key part of Ghana’s energy infrastructure.

2. King Shaka International Airport: (South Africa) 1996-1998 / SNC Lavalin Corporation of Montreal, Canada:
Robert was SNC Lavalin’s chief consultant to the South African Government. SNC

Lavalin was awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to undertake a feasibility study for the construction of the King Shaka International Airport near Durban. The airport was built — but not until South Africa was awarded the contract to host the 2010 World Cup.

3. Ghana National Fire Service: 2009-2011 / Project Development International (“PDI”):

“PDI”, a joint Belgium and United States based company, was awarded in 2005 an approximately $50 million contract by the Ghana Government to supply the Ghana National Fire Service with 121 new fire trucks (including 4 aerial ladder trucks) and various other firefighting equipment to replace nationwide the outdated vehicles and outdated equipment of the Ghana National Fire Service. Robert worked with PDI from 2009 to the end of 2011 as its chief consultant to the Ghana Government in order to conclude the transaction. The fire trucks were manufactured by Pierce Manufacturing in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and delivery to Ghana began in 2010. Delivery of all the fire trucks and other fire fighting equipment was completed by
the end of 2011.

4. Amway Corporation / “BonVi”: (Ghana) 2010 – to 2013:

The Amway Corporation established its West Africa subsidiary, “BonVi”, in Ghana in 2009. BonVi’s business model was “direct sales”, in contrast to the traditional Amway “network marketing” sales model. In June 2010 Robert began work with BonVi as its government affairs consultant to the Ghana Government. This included obtaining investment incentives from the Ghana Government and establishing working relationships with the various ministries and government agencies with which BonVi interacted — Ministry of Trade And Industry, Customs, Ghana Revenue Authority, Environmental Protection Agency, et al. Over the course of the three years of working with BonVi, Robert traveled to Ghana 19 times.

5. Sony-Columbia Pictures / “Ali” Movie, starring Will Smith and directed by Michael Mann: (Ghana) 2000:

Robert was Sony-Columbia Pictures’ chief government affairs consultant for the filming done in Ghana. He was paid for his work, and he also appeared in the film in a scene from Ghana.

6. BCI Aircraft: (Ghana) 2005:

Robert served as BCI’s consultant to the Ghana Government for BCI’s leasing of aircraft to Ghana Airways and the subsequent effort by BCI to collect payments due it when Ghana Airways became bankrupt.

7. Burrell Advertising and Burrell Communications: (South Africa, Ghana) 1994-1995:

Burrell Advertising was either the largest or second largest African-American owned advertising firm in the United States in the 1980s and 1990s. Robert represented Burrell as its chief consultant to the South African Government for government sponsored business opportunities and for private Black South African business opportunities. Robert also worked with Burrell as its chief consultant to the Ghana Government for government-sponsored business opportunities.

8. Millennium Data Corporation: (Tanzania) 2005:

Robert was Millennium Data’s chief consultant to the Tanzania Government in its bid to secure a contract “computerizing” the payroll system for Tanzania’s public school teachers.

9. Legal Work in Lesotho; 1995:

Robert traveled to Lesotho to undertake work for a wrongful death lawsuit (arising from a U.S. airplane crash). His client was a citizen of Lesotho.

B. African Honorary Positions Held:

• Honorary Consul General of Ghana, 1996-2002
• Honorary Consul General of Ghana – Designate, 2009 to 2012

C. African Travels:

Beginning in 1969, Robert has traveled to 25 African countries: Senegal, Gambia, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Ghana, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

The summer after he graduated from Dartmouth (1969), Robert hitchhiked through 15 countries in Europe and 3 in North Africa (Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco).

In the summer of 1970 he hitchhiked through Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. After leaving East Africa, he traveled to Turkey for ten days, before heading back to Yale for his second year of law school. It was in 1970 during his stay in Dar Es Salaam , Tanzania that he first met the top exiled leadership of the African National Congress (“ANC”) which was headquartered in Dar Es Salaam. He began working with the ANC on his return to the U.S. — working with it to help build the anti-apartheid movement in the U.S.

D. Early Personal Business Experiences In Africa:

In the early 1970s, Robert together with a Dartmouth classmate of his from Ghana started and operated a housing construction company in Ghana. Robert bought a new $10,000 dump (or tipper) truck (on installment from International Harvester in Chicago, drove the truck to New York and shipped it to Ghana). During 1975 to 1976, the same Dartmouth classmate and Robert teamed with a Nigerian friend to start and operate a business in Lagos, Nigeria — building furniture for the apartment housing that was being built as part of the World Black and African Arts Festival which the Nigerian Government hosted in 1976. Robert bought $3,000 worth of carpentry equipment for this venture.

In the late 1970s Robert co-founded a travel company, named African-American Heritage Studies Program. This not-for-profit business operated summer tours to various African countries. Cuba was added as a part of the tours in the 1980s. The tour participants were generally African-American school teachers and administrators. Robert and his colleagues operated this business for more than twenty years.

E. Some Experiences with Top African Leadership:

1. South Africa:

From May 16-17, 1992, Robert attended the multi-party negotiations for the new South Africa. The convening of the negotiations was named Convention for a Democratic South Africa (“C.O.D.E.S.A.”). The negotiations were held at the World Trade Center, near Johannesburg.

Each political party involved in the negotiations had two representatives who actually presented their party’s position at the negotiation sessions. The three main parties were: the ANC (led by Nelson Mandela); the National Party (led by F.W. De Klerk, President of South Africa); and the Inkatha Freedom Party (led by Chief M. Buthelezi). The other political parties represented at C.O.D.E.S.A. were allied with one of the main three. The two ANC negotiators were Cyril Ramaphosa (now President of South Africa) and Valli Musa. The lead negotiator of the party from the Northern Transvaal, the United Peoples Party (an ANC allied party), was Collins Ramusi. Robert accompanied Mr. Ramusi in the actual negotiations at C.O.D.E.S.A. for the new South African Constitution.

In 1991 Robert attended the ANC’s National Conference in Durban –the ANC’s first national conference in over 30 years –since the ANC was banned by the South African Government in 1961. This conference brought together for the first time in over 30 years the three principal wings of the ANC: (1) the leadership that had been imprisoned for many long years (Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and others); (2) the leadership that had been in exile for many long years (Alfred Nzo, Thabo Mbeki and others); and (3) the leadership that had operated “above ground” within South Africa (Cyril Ramaphosa, and others). It was at this conference that Robert met Mr. Mandela for the first time.

In 1993, Robert co-hosted Nelson Mandela’s visit to Chicago. During this visit, Robert hosted a reception for Mr. Mandela and raised $87,000 for the ANC‘s 1994 election campaign.

In 1994, Alfred Nzo, South Africa’s Foreign Minister and former Secretary General of the ANC, invited Robert to meet him at Blair House (the U.S. President’s Guest House in Washington, D.C.). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss ANC policies for developing U.S. business relationships. Foreign Minister Nzo and President Mandela were staying at Blair House as guests of President Clinton during President Mandela’s State Visit to the U.S.

2. Ghana

In 1996, 1998, and 1999, Robert hosted the visits of the President of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, to Chicago (1996) and Detroit (1998). President Rawlings’ delegation for the two and a half days’ Chicago visit consisted of 42 officials (including the First Lady). For President Rawlings’ visits to Denver, Houston and New York in 1999, Robert made, at the request of the Ghana Government, the arrangements for the leasing of the chartered aircraft (including obtaining the total amount of the funding) on which the President and his delegation traveled.

In 1998, Robert was part of the delegation of the President of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, on his visit to Tokyo and Osaka Japan.

In 2006, as a lawyer, Robert successfully defended former President Jerry Rawlings in a civil lawsuit in the U.S.

3. Mozambique

In the fall of 1966, Robert had the opportunity, with a fellow Dartmouth classmate, to meet and engage in day-long discussions with Eduardo Mondlane, the founder of FRELIMO, the Mozambique Liberation Movement. This occurred through Robert’s Dartmouth government professor, Chris Potholm, who had a relationship with the Vermont farmer whom Mr. Mondlane was visiting at the time. Mr. Mondlane was assassinated in 1969 in Dar Es Salaam.

F. African Leaders Who Have Visited Robert At His Home In Chicago:

South Africa:

1. Graca Machel, 1988: Nelson Mandela’s wife
2. Alfred Nzo, 1987: Secretary General of the ANC and Foreign Minister (1994-1999)
3. Moses Mabhida, 1976: Top leader in South African Liberation Movement and major ally of the ANC. The Durban soccer stadium built for the 2010 World Cup is named after Mr. Mabhida.
4. Mac Maharaj: Top Leader in ANC who was imprisoned on Robben Island with Mr. Mandela; was Minister of Transport (1994-1999) and served as spokesman for President Jacob Zuma.
5. Dennis Goldberg, 1993: the only white defendant (of the total of 8 defendants including Nelson Mandela as Accused No. 1) in the famous Rivonia Trial. All eight defendants were sentenced to life in prison.
6. Jeff Radebe, 1993 and subsequent years: Top ANC leader in anti-apartheid struggle; a cabinet minister in every South African Government since 1994 (Minister of Public Works, Minister of Public Enterprises, Minister of Transport and, Minister of Justice And Constitutional Development). Jeff’s wife, Bridgette, a top South African businesswoman has, on occasion, also accompanied Jeff on his visits to Robert’s home.
7. Judge Richard Goldstone: In the 1990s Judge Goldstone headed the “Goldstone Commission” which investigated the political violence in South Africa between 1991 and 1994. Judge Goldstone’s work was critical in maintaining the stable political environment in which the negotiations took place.
8. Sheila Sisulu, 1999: South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States.
9. Sam Motsuenyane, 1976: Mr. Motsuenyane founded the African Bank, Ltd., South Africa’s first fully Black-owned bank in the early 1970s.
10. Collins Ramusi, 1976-1984: Collins was a lawyer and longtime leading politician in the Northern Transvaal. He was an ANC member of Parliament in 1994 until his death in 1996.

Ghana:

1. President of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings, 2006, as former President.
2. President John E.A. Mills, 2004 as a Presidential candidate.
3. Ambassador E. Spio-Garbrah, 1996
4. Ambassador Daniel Ohene Agyekum, 2010 and 2014: Ghana’s Ambassador to the U.S.
5. Chief Justice of the Ghana Supreme Court, Honorable Kobena Acquaye.
6. Many Cabinet Ministers (Minister of Mines and Energy, Minister of Transport, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Trade and Industry, Minister of Tourism, et al.)

Kenya:

• Chief Justice of the Kenya Supreme Court, Honorable Johnson Evans Gicheru

Zimbabwe:

1. Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to the U.S. in the 1980s
2. Minister of Tourism, 1990s: Edward Chininga