New York — In a symbolic move aligning America’s conservation heritage with Africa’s rewilding future, the launch of the Roosevelt Africa Trail, a new Pan-African economic and cultural engine, will be marked by the official naming of a rhino in Uganda after President Roosevelt.
Inspired by President Theodore Roosevelt’s storied 1909–1910 Smithsonian–African Expedition, the Roosevelt Africa Trail is rapidly evolving into a modern cross-continental engine for economic diplomacy—leveraging storytelling to drive agriculture, culture, conservation, innovation, and tourism across Africa and the United States.
Over two days of high-level engagements in New York City, Trail leaders, diplomats, technologists, and commercial partners advanced a unified regional framework and unveiled new ventures poised to define the Trail’s next phase.
Government-to-Government Dialogues
Day One was hosted at the Permanent Mission of Uganda to the United Nations, bringing together delegations from Uganda, Kenya, and South Sudan to shape a joint working framework for the Trail.
Uganda’s delegation was led by Amb. Kwoba Godfrey, Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, joined by: Dr Jackline Nyiracyiza Besigye, Assistant Commissioner for Monuments & Museums, Dr James Musinguzi, Executive Director, Uganda Wildlife Authority and Ms Celia Nabeta, Minister Counsellor, Uganda Mission in New York.
Kenya was represented by Godfrey Juma, Trade/Commercial Attaché, and South Sudan by Amb. Cecilia Adeng, Permanent Representative to the UN.
The session focused on regional coordination and preparation for major upcoming activities, including participation in the Harvard Africa Business Conference and filming of the Roosevelt Africa Virtual Trail, an immersive XR+AI experience.
Joshua Sentongo, Director of Strategy & Business Development for the Trail, presented commercial opportunities already emerging. He highlighted Roosevelt Africa Safari Coffee as “a transformative step toward the largest storytelling-driven African coffee commercialisation ever attempted.”
A Historic Gathering at The Explorers Club
Day Two convened at the iconic Explorers Club under the US–Africa Business Connect series, bringing together descendants of African and American leaders, conservationists, historians, and innovators.
A landmark conservation dialogue titled “The President and the King” featured Andrew Roosevelt, descendant of President Theodore Roosevelt and Prince Nicholas Basamula, great-grandson of Ssekabaka Daudi Chwa.
Moderated by historian Jonathon Earle, the conversation revisited the 1909 encounter between Kabaka Daudi Chwa and President Roosevelt, exploring how it shaped Roosevelt’s worldview and influenced his decision to pursue a third U.S. presidential term.
Other speakers included: Dr Michael Cullinane, Theodore Roosevelt Centre, Dr James Musinguzi, Uganda Wildlife Authority and Susan Sarna, Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.
Roosevelt Africa Virtual Trail
MIT XR+AI teams unveiled cutting-edge tools poised to anchor the Trail’s global reach.
An immersive XR + AI experience set to headline the US@250 celebrations, the experience will tour malls, schools, cultural centres, and retail spaces—targeting at least 10 million visitors across the United States.
Intelligent Trail Markers
An innovation—QR-enabled heritage markers—will be installed across African Trail sites, carrying: geospatial data, cultural archives, live visitor analytics and immersive storytelling links.
These markers will permanently connect physical heritage sites to a global virtual audience.
Roosevelt Africa Safari Coffee: A Landmark Commercial Deal
A highlight of the week was the announcement by Margaret Nyamuwombo, CEO of Kahawa 1893, of a landmark partnership to launch Roosevelt Africa Safari Coffee.
With Kahawa 1893 already stocked in over 1,500 retail stores in the U.S., the new partnership could unlock up to 450,000 tonnes of Ugandan coffee annually—potentially the largest coffee commercialisation in Uganda’s history.
A flagship launch is set for March 28–29 at Harvard Business School during the Africa Business Conference.
A portion of the proceeds will support Rhino conservation.
The Roosevelt–Rhino Campaign Announced
A new conservation initiative—the Roosevelt–Rhino Campaign—was launched by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Trail Secretariat, and the Theodore Roosevelt Association.
A Rhino in Uganda will be officially named after President Roosevelt, symbolically linking America’s conservation legacy to Africa’s ongoing rewilding efforts.
The christening ceremony will take place in Uganda, with updates shared with U.S. conservation networks.
Film Initiative: “Roosevelt Encounters Africa”
Top filmmaker Tendo Nagenda, former VP of Production at Disney and Netflix, shared insights on the upcoming documentary series Roosevelt Encounters Africa. “The strength of this initiative lies entirely in how well the story is told,” he said, emphasising that compelling narratives will be the engine driving global engagement, investment, cross-cultural understanding and continental pride.
Ms Celia Nabeta, Chairperson of the Trail Nations, affirmed the role of the Trail as a long-term diplomatic asset. She emphasised: “Across the world, heritage—when intentionally developed—becomes a powerful engine for economic transformation.”
To illustrate the economic potential, she pointed to the Texas Hill Country Heritage Trails, which generate: $17.2 billion in annual travel spending, 139,000 jobs, $5.4 billion in travel-related earnings, 12.5% of all Texas travel revenue and $83 billion in total Texas tourism impact statewide.
“These data points remind us,” she said, “that heritage is not nostalgia—it is economic infrastructure.”
The Roosevelt Africa Trail’s New York engagements mark a significant step toward building a new Africa–U.S. cultural and economic corridor.
From XR technology and conservation diplomacy to billion-shilling coffee exports and shared storytelling, the Trail is positioning itself as one of the most ambitious heritage-driven development efforts of the decade.