It is a big dream that may well come to fruition. An Oct. 27 conference at Georgia International Conference Center in College Park provided a look at a proposed international trade and tourism venue called the African Village Project, to be located on a handful of sites across unincorporated south Fulton County.

Also held the previous day at Kennesaw State University, the conference centered on the theme, “Bridging the Gap & Building the Bridge: U.S./Africa,” an approach that forms a template for developing creative reciprocal trade, commerce, cultural exchange and skills and technology transfer with other nations and tourism potential for Atlanta and south Fulton.

The planning phases are expected to begin in 2008 with the construction phase for the $4-10 billion project beginning in 2009, with build-out over 10 years. A primary feature of the project will be a replica of each of the 54 nations on sites of up to 10 acres. Other key elements anticipated for the extensive project, one covering more than 500 acres in several locations across unincorporated south Fulton, are a World Games Village and Amusement Park, International Regional Visitor’s Center, World Expo, Consular and Protocol Resource Center along with an education research center, vocational center, theater and convention center, world news and media center, museum and galleries.

An area critical to any endeavor is funding. The large amount of capital that will be needed for the massive project is expected to come from multiple sources.

“African Village is going to be an investment where we are inviting the African investors, African-Americans and businesses to participate,” said African Heritage Foundation Founder and CEO Chief Tunde Adetunji. “And we want to expose it to the World Bank as a possible project and we want to expose it to the State of Georgia to be part of an investment that will bring returns.”

The return Tunde spoke of is expected to come from perspective business partners seeking to establish or expand trade relations with any one of the more than four dozen African nations and in the form of tourism dollars for the Atlanta area.

“By way of calculations, we are looking at about 10 million people to come to the African Village every year for tourism and business. Most of the activities of the African nations will be shifted here to the African village. That is the idea. So this is not only tailored toward Africa and African-Americans. It is tailored toward global investment and the United States of America,” Tunde said.

Tunde said all 54 African nations are expected to participate in a far-reaching project that will be unique to the United States and to the world.

“The idea is to have all the African nations to have an identity here in order to promote the motherland. So the vision is to have all the nations here and for them to replicate their countries and the six regions of Africa,” Tunde said. “Efforts to establish the African Village Project has met with approval by the Fulton County government and designs are underway to create a landmark, a one-stop conclave of useful resources for international consumers to tap into the multi-billion dollar products and services those African nations provide.”

Explaining a portion of his vision at the conference, Tunde said Africa is at a pivotal point in history. At this critical time, Africa must be at the forefront of international competitiveness. To compete, Africa has to take immediate and necessary steps to implement economic reform. African nations must recognize the joint stakes we have in ensuring that the people of Africa survive. This assurance starts with you and me, Tunde told conference attendees. We must build institutions that focus on and draw upon the generosity, survival and wisdom of African people, Tunde said.

“This is historic for Atlanta and more historic for south Fulton,” Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards said to Tunde and other African Heritage Foundation and African Union members. “We appreciate that you’ve chosen south Fulton for this project and the economic vitality you’re adding to it. You are building a bridge from Africa to America to Atlanta to south Fulton County.”

Though not present at the conference, African Union Commission Chairman Prof. Alpha Oumar Konare summed up the intent of the conference and the hope for the future.

“This conference should mark the beginning of an era of sustained interaction between the African Diaspora and key political and economic actors in the continent,” Konare said. “The African Union therefore hopes that the expected outcome would include a definition of a new African agenda for economic progress.”

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