Nova Scotia’s Black Business Initiative (BBI) aims to improve the economic and business opportunities available to the African-Nova Scotian community. Here, BIM talks with the BBI’s Chief Strategist and CEO Rustum Southwell about the organization’s purposes and strategies. Southwell migrated to Canada from St. Kitts in 1972 and settled in Halifax. A devoted contributor to African-Nova Scotian community initiatives, his current board posts include the Halifax International Airport Authority Community Consultative Committee, United Way of Halifax, and the Board of Waterfront Development Corporation Ltd., to which he was recently appointed. In 2010, Southwell received the Black Business and Professional Association’s inaugural Distinguished Men of Honour award for his indelible contributions and leadership among black entrepreneurship and for raising the community’s economic empowerment. Since Southwell’s appointment as a founding Executive Director to the BBI in 1996, the BBI has assisted to create over 300 black businesses and nearly 700 jobs in Nova Scotia. BIM: What is the purpose of the BBI? RS: The BBI is a province-wide business development initiative committed to fostering the growth of businesses owned by members of Nova Scotia’s black community. We are committed to growing the black presence in a diverse range of business sectors including high-tech, manufacturing, tourism, and the cultural sector. BIM: How did the BBI come to … [Read more...]
