Publisher establishes partnership with West African company

Laura Ashley Lamm
Staff Writer

December 03, 2007 08:32 am

— Creating a global partnership between two countries – the United States and Africa– was the sole purpose of a joint meeting between two men wanting to expand business and economic growth, and to diminish the continental divide between two nations.
Africa Ambassador Lucien Edgar Tonoukouin traveled to Tarboro on Wednesday to meet with Heaven Can't Wait Publishing Co. CEO Michael Bennett to begin building a partnership to accomplish those goals.
The technological company currently produces books and is working on creating a search engine with the expansion of software and music on the rise.
Tonoukouin, the former diplomatic representation ambassador for Benin, Africa in the United States, and Bennett plan to expand the publishing company to have its first international branch in Benin and to help bring a boost to the African community's economy.
"I am very happy. I know this happiness is coming from God. I meet with Michael (Bennett) and know we can do interesting things for Africa," said Tonoukouin.
"This day is a new day. A new beginning for Africa, for my country."
"As an individual from Princeville meeting with a high ranking official from the continent of Africa, it is amazing," said Bennett. "This corporation was never meant to be a stationary company, it was meant to be a global company. We are working on the steps now to make that happen."
Bennett wants to have a branch office in Benin that mirrors the branch in Tarboro, but stands firm that Tarboro will remain the company's main headquarters. Benin is a developing West African country with a population of approximately 10 million.
"We are the richest continent in the world but because of mismanages and illiteracy we are still poor," said Tonoukouin. "I feel with this company coming into Africa, we can move Africa from darkness to what we can see."
The economy of Benin depends of the development of agriculture, cotton production and regional trade. Common agricultural products are cotton, crude oil, palm products and cocoa. With the expansion of software, search engines, books and music into the country, the economy can grow for future generations, said Tonoukouin.
"I want us to be partners for life," said Bennett. "This is a situation that will work great for everybody; for Africa and for the United States.
"This company is not one dimensional," he continued. "There's software, search engines, music and books. This will bring Africa to the age it should be in."
"This will boost the economy (of Africa) for current and next generations," said Tonoukouin. "I think it will be very successful."
The expansion of the company into Africa is still in the discussion process and Bennett declined to discuss the financial equation of what the expanding of the company would run.
Since opening its doors in September, Heaven Can't Wait currently has nine employees and has been publishing books and developing a search engine, the first phase in the corporation's development.

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