Ellington Arnold
- Manager, U.S.-Africa Business Center, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Ellington Arnold, manager of the U.S.-Africa Business Center (USAfBC) at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, brings a decade of international business development and public policy experience to this position. He is responsible for leading the Center’s initiative Advance with Africa, a program designed to increase Africa’s commercial profile and showcase tools to support new market entrants and opportunities for businesses across the U.S. and Africa. In addition, he leads the Life Sciences Task Force, which advocates for greater investment in the health and wellness sectors to support development and meet the growing pharmaceutical needs of African nations.
Before joining the Chamber, Arnold served in politics and held positions that enabled him to gain a deep understanding of the African business landscape. He served as country desk officer for South Africa, Eswatini, and Lesotho while at the Peace Corps, where he provided critical support to volunteers and managed relationships with government officials and other stakeholders. He also worked as the entrepreneurship officer at the U.S. African Development Foundation. There he oversaw the agency’s entrepreneurship portfolio that supported over 300 ventures in more than 35 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and played a key role in empowering African entrepreneurs and promoting economic growth in the region.
Additionally, Arnold consulted in Kenya on grassroots health and economic inclusion projects and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal at a rural health clinic.
He is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he majored in foreign affairs with a concentration on Africa.
