Economic Sovereignty: 126th National Business League Conference Returns to Atlanta in 2026

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Feb 11, 2026, 23:53 ET

Conference to Focus on AI, Global Trade, and Enterprise Ownership

TUSKEGEE, Ala., Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Business League (NBL), the nation's first and largest Black business federation founded in 1900 by Booker T. Washington, today announced that the 126th National Business League Conference will be held August 19–22, 2026, at the Hilton Atlanta Hotel. The Conference will convene global business leaders, policymakers, investors, and entrepreneurs to advance a unified agenda for Black economic sovereignty, innovation, and ownership.

The Liberian Commission was hosted at Tuskegee Institute by Booker T. Washington in 1907. Standing (L-R): Charles Branch, Booker T. Washington, Charles Anderson. Seated (L-R): Charles B. Dunbar, G.H. Gibson (former President of Liberia), J.J. Dossen (former Vice President of Liberia). On the ground (L-R): Emmett J. Scott (Washington’s secretary), Thomas Calloway. Photo Credit: Tuskegee University Archives. (PRNewsfoto/The National Business League)

Hosted in partnership with the National Alliance for Black Business, the 2026 Conference builds on the historic momentum of the NBL's 125th quasquicentennial celebration, which brought together more than 3,300 participants from over 33 Pan-African nations across Africa, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. That landmark gathering facilitated high-level trade dialogues, buyer-supplier engagements, investment forums, and strategic partnerships focused on generational wealth creation and enterprise development.

Represented countries included Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco, Rwanda, Tanzania, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Guinea, and Uganda from Africa; Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico from the Caribbean and Atlantic region; and Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Honduras, Belize, and Suriname—demonstrating the extraordinary global reach of the NBL's Pan-African economic platform.

The 2026 Conference will focus on artificial intelligence, global trade, capital access, supplier development, job creation through entrepreneurship, student enterprise pipelines, and ownership-based wealth creation.

"This Conference represents more than a gathering," said Dr. Ken L. Harris, 16th President and CEO of the National Business League. "It is the governing summit of Black Business Enterprise in the 21st century. We are building systems of economic ownership and sovereignty, not dependency."

Key program features will include:

Pan-African Trade and Investment Forum
Global Buyer-Supplier Matchmaking
HBCU Entrepreneurship and Innovation Showcase
AI and Digital Enterprise Development Summit
BBE Certification Marketplace
Government and Corporate Contracting Pavilion

The 126th Conference is expected to generate millions of dollars in economic activity while strengthening the NBL's role as the central convening authority for Black Business Enterprises (BBEs) in the United States and throughout the Pan-African Diaspora.

Registration, sponsorship, and delegation information will be released in Spring 2026. For updates, visit www.nationalbusinessleague.org.

About the National Business League

Founded in 1900 by Booker T. Washington in Tuskegee, Alabama, the National Business League is the nation's first and largest federation for Black-owned businesses. For more than 126 years, the NBL has advanced entrepreneurship, supplier development, capital access, workforce advancement, and international trade. The organization maintains national headquarters in Tuskegee, Alabama, with regional offices in Detroit, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Washington, D.C.; and Africa.

Global Media Contact:
Minehaha Forman
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1-334-313-6762

SOURCE The National Business League