City of South Fulton, Georgia
North American Capital to the African Diaspora

As the documents below reveal, all my travel as Mayor has been in service of promoting South Fulton as international hub for Black business. Promoting false narratives about the integrity of Black Leaders only aids the architects of Project 2025 run a play of divide-and-conquer as old as Willie Lynch.
-Mayor Kobi

View Mayor Kobi's Recent Expenses

Feb 2024

Mayor Kobi's first Int'l trip was to Colombia with the A.D. King Foundation.

June 2024

(The White House & Colombia)

July 2024

(2024 Olympics, Paris)

August 2024

(www.SouthFulton.us)

September 2024

(Toronto International Film Festival)

October 2024

(United Nations COP16 & Port of Savannah)

November 2024

(South Fulton's Global South Film Fest)

December 2024

​(Ghana)

Mayor Kobi has a vision for economic development in South Fulton, Georgia beyond warehouses and data centers.

By circulating Black dollars not just locally, but throughout the African Diaspora, we re-engineer Triangle Slave Trade routes to build an independent, international financial network.  With a median household income of $82,000, one of America’s highest home ownership rates, and a population that is 92 percent African American, South Fulton — the Blackest City in the United States — is perfectly positioned to be a global hub of Black commerce. 

Seeing the demographics of "America's Blackest City" not as an obstacle, but a key to economic growth, Mayor Kobi launched a world tour in 2023 to promote South Fulton as the American Capital of the African Diaspora.

Mayor Kobi’s pitch at international events: “If your business interested in engaging Black America’s $1 Trillion consumer market, there is no better place to set up shop than the City of South Fulton, Georgia —  home to the East Coast’s largest industrial corridor, next to World’s Busiest Airport with rail access East Coast’s largest seaport.”

​In December 2024, South Fulton Mayor Kobi traveled to Ghana on a 2 week trade mission where he was invited to give the Keynote Address at the Ghana Promotion Investment Centre (GIPC)'s "Beyond the Return" Summit.

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Mayor Kobi Travels the World Promoting South Fulton

​The Mayor’s international economic development tour began in Fall 2023 when a group of French organizers, excited by his promotion of South Fulton as America’s Blackest City, invited him to the Business Africa Summit in Paris. Billed as the largest expo of African entrepreneurs on Earth, Mayor Kobi was a featured speaker.

​The Mayor’s international economic development tour began in Fall 2023 when a group of French organizers, excited by his promotion of South Fulton as America’s Blackest City, invited him to the Business Africa Summit in Paris. Billed as the largest expo of African entrepreneurs on Earth, Mayor Kobi was a featured speaker.

While there, Kobi met with several local officials, including the Mayor and Councilmembers of Colombes — the “South Fulton” to Paris. His economic development tour included Station F: the world’s largest co-working space. Supported in part by the French government, local start-ups at Station F mingle with multinational giants like Facebook, Microsoft and LVMH.

So impressed were French officials with Mayor Kobi, they invited him to represent the United States and South Fulton at the 2024 Olympic Games’ Station Afrique — an exposition of Black commerce and culture convened by African Countries at the games.  At the Paris Olympics, Mayor Kobi took time to cheer on the US Olympic Team — including South Fulton Olympians Christian Coleman and Chris Eubanks, whom he honored with Proclamations from the City.

In October 2024, Mayor Kobi was invited back to Colombia by Cali Mayor, Alejandro Eder for the United Nations COP 16 Cities Summit, which focuses on the role cities  play in protecting biodiversity to support economic development. 

Click to see footage of Mayor Kobi representing the South Fulton & the United States at the United Nations 2024 COP16 Summit in Cali, Colombia.

Mayor Kobi Travels to Ghana, Deepening Trade & Cultural Connections
​Between West Africa & South Fulton

​In December 2024, South Fulton Mayor Kobi traveled to Ghana on a two-week trade mission. While there he met with the outgoing and incoming Presidential administration, the U.S. State Department Director of Economic Affairs, the Mayor of Ghana, the Ministers of Culture for Accra and Kumasi, the African American Association of Ghana (AAAG, in Accra and Cape Coast) and many others.
​Mayor Kobi's Ghana trip was originally scheduled for 14 days. As the Mayor’s December documentation shows, he changed the date of his return flight to extend his trip for seven additional days, turning down nearly $1,000 in taxpayer-funded per diem. Though his trip extension was personal, Mayor Kobi continued taking meetings on behalf of the City as more officials heard of his extended stay. He was invited to give the Keynote Address at the Ghana Promotion Investment Centre (GIPC)'s "Beyond the Return" Summit on December 23.  

​​Mayor Kobi has never purchased a first class ticket for international travel.

Mayor Forfeited $900 of Per Diem to Extend Ghana Trip with His Own Money

​Mayor Kobi's Ghana trip was originally scheduled for 14 days. As the December documentation shows, the Mayor changed the date of his return flight to extend his trip for seven additional days, turning down nearly $1,000 in taxpayer-funded per diem. Though his trip extension was personal, Mayor Kobi continued taking meetings on behalf of the City as more officials heard of his extended stay.

​​Mayor Kobi has never purchased a first class ticket for international travel. In fact, many his flight upgrades were purchased personally or with rewards points. Business Class tickets purchased with taxpayer dollars (on international flights only) include free baggage and onboard internet. Often, these international baggage and internet fees can cost as much as a business-class upgrade.  ​

To keep costs down on his trade missions, Mayor Kobi stayed with for free with hosts; booked AirBnB's and traveled by Uber, mototaxi and public transit when safe. For his Ghana trip, Mayor Kobi never rented a hotel room. The total cost of his 21 days is Ghana was not much more than Councilmembers 4-day trip Washington D.C.

Click to View Expenses of City Council Travel

Open Records of the South Fulton's accounting system, Edmunds, reveal that members of the City Manager's office and Finance Department — all of whom report to City Manager, Sharon B. Subadan — were the final sign off on each of the Mayor's travel and office purchases. Phone records show the Mayor and City Manager held weekly, Friday phone meetings, speaking regularly before, during and after the Mayor's international trade missions. 

Mayor Kobi Worked with City Staff to Plan 2024 Olympics Trip

​​Mayor Kobi worked with South Fulton’s Public Affairs and Economic Development departments, as well as the city’s Commercial Realtor to develop a website, one-pager and swag to market South Fulton as the gateway to the Black American consumer market. One-pagers printed in English, French and Spanish have been shared at conferences and events around the world. 

Click to view the SouthFulton.us Website

International invitations began to pour into the Mayor’s Office, particularly from countries with large Black populations and companies interested in doing business with Black America. The South American country of Colombia has the fourth largest Black population outside of Africa. Colombia’s Atlanta, Cali, and its suburban municipalities made requests to become Sister Cities to South Fulton. 

Mayor Kobi has made multiple attempts to explain how Sister Cities agreements help set goals and expectations for international relations. After introducing the idea of Sister Cities to City Council at their 2024 Retreat, the Mayor invited the City Manager and all of Council to a luncheon with representatives of the A.D. King Foundation, U.S. State Department and several visiting Fulbright Scholars On multiple occasions, Mayor Kobi brought international experts to council meetings to explain Sister Cities’ programs to City Council and the general public.

Upon learning that over $56,000 was spent on City Council’s 2024 Retreat at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Oconee, Mayor Kobi began coordinating a City Council Retreat to Rwanda. In the 30 years since a genocide of over 500,000 people, infamously depicted in the film Hotel Rwanda, the country has turned itself into a model of democracy; and its capital, Kigali into the “Silicon Valley” of Africa. ​

On economic development trips organized through the African Leadership University (ALU) Mayor Kobi visited a city-funded business incubator, Nordskin, responsible for launching successful tech startups like drone delivery service ZipLine. During the COVID pandemic, while caravans of cars wrapped around U.S. parking lots for COVID tests and vaccines, citizens in Kigali received their medicine by drones. 

In Rwanda, the Mayor recognized an important lesson for his Council on the dangers of divisive politics as well as an opportunity to show them the role government can play in developing new industries. “With the US Dollar stretching much further in Africa, a group discount on airfare would have made such a retreat no more expensive than going back to Ritz.” Unfortunately, Council rejected the idea, with one member calling a retreat in Kigali “an African safari.”

However, other Councilmembers have expressed interest in international business and Sister Cities agreements. Several South Fulton councilmembers travelled outside the 50 states in 2024 — to Puerto Rico, Colombia, Ethiopia and India.  

​Mayor Kobi returned from his trade missions to Colombia with two Fulbright Scholars. In Summer 2024, Choreographer Angie Gonzalez Chaverra taught Chimera — an AfroColumbian dance indigenous to Colombia’s Pacific Coast — to children and seniors at South Fulton’s Southwest Arts Center. Penn State graduate student Jeferson Tenario helped coordinate the first Bi-National Summit for Afro-Descendant Leaders at Morehouse College in May 2024; and continues to work in the Mayor’s office to bring Colombian businesses to the South Fulton.  

Mayor Puts South Fulton on the Map with Film Industry

A film school graduate and former director, Mayor Kobi has long advocated for the City of South Fulton to create an Office of Film & Entertainment.  After years of watching South Fulton miss out on opportunities in Georgia’s fast-growing film industry, Mayor Kobi transformed the Public Advocate position in his office to the Mayor’s Film & Media Manager in the Summer of 2024.

In September 2024, Mayor Kobi and his new Film & Media Manager, Danielle Duncan partnered with Georgia Entertainment to promote South Fulton at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The following month, they partnered with South Fulton’s Convention & Visitors Bureau to organize a FAM (Familiarization) Tour & Luncheon for movie studio production managers and location scouts. Duncan is now working with the Convention & Visitors Bureau on a second FAM Tour; and with Fulton County Schools  for HBO to begin filming in the old Westwood (Westlake) High School building in South Fulton.  

The City of South Fulton is now home to three international festivals.  The brainchild of Mayor Pro tem Linda B Pritchett, South Fulton’s Azucar Latin Music Festival has become one of the city's marquee events. The festival’s star-studded lineup this year included Columbian sensations, AfroLegends — brought to the attention of festival organizers by Mayor Kobi’s Innovation Lab Intern, Jeferson. District 4 (Cedar Grove, South Fulton Pkwy) now hosts an annual International Expo at Wilkerson Mill Park.

​In November, Mayor Kobi launched the Global South International Film Festival (GSF2), featuring films & filmmakers from the Global South. Beyond educating audiences about the African Diaspora, GSF2 is helping to promote South Fulton as a preferred destination for Georgia’s growing film industry.

City Council Refuses to Hear Mayor's Explanations for Travel

Mayor Kobi has released these detailed statements to counter politically-motivated accusations of inappropriate spending. As the documentation above reveals, all the Mayor’s international trade missions were organized at the invitation of entrepreneurs and elected officials across the globe.  

​On multiple occasions, Mayor Kobi brought foreign officials and local experts before City Council to explain his trade missions and Sister Cities initiatives. Each time, his proposals were postponed or rejected. During January's Council meetings, Councilwomen Helen Z. Williams & Carmalitha Gumbs repeatedly interrupted Mayor Kobi's attempts to explain his trips, and even removed the Mayor's presentation on Sister Cities from a meeting agenda.

“It’s been very frustrating, especially in light of all these false accusations,” explains Mayor Kobi. “Citizens came to those meetings looking for explanations, and officials flew in from around the world to help me present. I don’t know why any Councilmember who claims to want answers wouldn't listen to what we had to say."​

International Businesspeople & Elected Officials Praise Mayor's Vision

The delegation of French and francophone African officials turned away by South Fulton's City Council at its January 28 meeting included Jules Descombes, Director of the Olympics Games' Station Afrique and Olivier N'guessan, CEO and Co-founder Alkebulan Afrika.

​While the Mayor's international guests at meetings still hold him in high regard and are interested in doing business in South Fulton, after being rejected by City Council they often take their business elsewhere. Following the January 28th South Fulton Council Meeting, Mayor Kobi's French delegation visited the Atlanta Mayor's Office of International Affairs. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has been making similar international trips, most recently to South Africa.