Our History
How we got here
In 2015, over one hundred community and business developers were invited to Atlanta, Georgia, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to interview for a one-year Environmental Justice (EJ) Academy program. Thirty participants were selected for the EJ Academy and charged with developing a SMART GROWTH COMMUNITY PROPOSAL. I was blessed to be one of the participants of this initial EJ Academy program. Each participant was to utilize the tools and resource curriculum created to demonstrate how an equitable, secure, and sustainable community should be. The design that I developed was chosen as the number one proposal.
Providentially, during this same time, my non-governmental organization (NGO), Georgia Research Environmental Economic Network (GREEN), was also requested to go to West Africa (Liberia) to establish an “agricultural feeding program”. In 2016, Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia was selected as the site of implementation for my SMART GROWTH PROPOSAL. In February of 2017, a Liberian NGO, Georgia Africa Intervention Network (G.A.I.N), was formulated to facilitate a community / business growth development project in Liberia and partner with the USA organization GREEN.
In 2018 under the auspicious governmental approval of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, US Congressman Earl Carter, Liberian Congressman Bob Sheriff, and Georgia State Senators, Donzella James and Dr. Lester Jackson, the community / business growth project was better re- titled and programmed as the Georgia Trade Expansion Project (GTEP). The primary objective was / is to increase trade between Georgia (USA) and Liberia (West Africa); enhance greater climate crisis controls; and, create livable wage jobs. The mission of GTEP is to foster a global effort for economic development, justice and sustainability.
By September of 2024, GTEP seeks through a SMART GROWTH Participatory Research Science methodology to:
- Have registered offices in all 15 Liberian counties with STEAM curriculum emphasis
- Establish a renewable electric grid that yields 100% functionality within Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia
- Increase the employment of youth by 15% in Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia
- Increase Women business startups by 15% in Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia
- Increase agriculture production by 10% in Liberia
- Increase satellite broadband availability by 75% in Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia
- Create a Water treatment / Waste management processing center in all four (4) districts of Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia
- Pave the roads from Medina to Roberts Port / Sinje to Gbarpalu County border
- Build a medical treatment center that focuses on decreasing malaria and typhoid by 10% in Liberia
- Create midwife training center with five (5) district facilities to decrease infant mortality by 15% in Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia
- Hire international CPA firm, Attorney firm, and Human Resource Development Port Logistics team
- Many of our goals / objectives are not listed so that our thoughts are not lifted and put in other’s proposals
- establishing a collaborative partnership with the HBCU’s
- building working relationships with federal governments
- establish aquaculture for tourist center
- establish fishery to decrease food insecurity
- create reserve bank with gold extractions
- increase West African inter-trade routes and collaboratives
Triple Bottom Line Objectives
We seek regional partnerships and track actions and measure impacts:
- Economically: Forming enterprises that grow jobs that generate income for individuals and the community.
- Equitably: Growing in inclusive and fairways [objectively and transparently not exploitative] emphasizing community and employee entrepreneurship and co-ownership.
- Environmentally: Ensuring actions are carried out in a sustainable manner, minimizing negative impacts and optimizing regenerative modes of designing, producing and delivering products and services.