Ohio’s top social impact official has told a major Africa-US trade summit that the state’s economic development strategy is built on a single, simple principle: trust before transaction.
Commissioner Ronald C. Thomas, Chief of Social Impact Opportunity at the Ohio Department of Development, welcomed delegates to the African American Trade and Investment Summit with a message that was as much about human relationships as it was about investment.
“Relationships move at the speed of trust,” Thomas told the gathering, quoting author Stephen Covey. “You can have resources. You can have capital. You can have technology. You can have great ideas. You can have products ready to go to the marketplace. But before sustainable business can happen, somebody has to trust somebody.”
Thomas, who spoke on behalf of Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Development, positioned Ohio as a natural bridge between Africa and the United States. He noted that the state’s work is centred on “empowering communities to succeed” and that every statistic represents a person, every company a family, and every investment a community.
The commissioner’s remarks came as Ohio seeks to expand its economic footprint in Africa, competing with other US states and international players for a share of the continent’s growing markets. His pitch leaned heavily on Ohio’s existing assets: manufacturers, researchers, innovators, investors and educational institutions.
“We are not sitting here just paying business cards,” Thomas said. “We are here to build bridges. We are not sitting here talking about what’s to happen someday. We are here to get the documentation that can produce results today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.”
He urged delegates to move beyond symbolic gestures. “Do not leave with somebody’s business card. Leave with the conversation. Leave with a schedule. Ask what opportunity you are looking for. Ask what problems you can solve.”
The commissioner also emphasised the role of government as a connector. “We bring the right people to the right room at the right time,” he said. “Sometimes opportunity is only one introduction away. Sometimes capital is one relationship away. Sometimes the market is one conversation away.”
For Ohio businesses eyeing African markets, Thomas offered a framework: government meeting business, investors meeting entrepreneurs, innovation meeting capital, and vision meeting opportunity. “When those connections are made intentionally, things begin to happen. Businesses grow. Markets expand. Enterprises create jobs.”
He closed with a challenge to delegates: “We didn’t come just to connect. We came to build. We didn’t just come to build. We came to transform.”