Grace Dzidzienyo

Grace W. Dzidzienyo is an irrefutable force in the world of economic, workforce and small business development. Her highly accomplished career spans decades, and as a result of her relentless commitment to revitalizing distressed communities, she is paving a new path for businesses, employees
and families across the globe to thrive through economic sustainability and shared prosperity.

A true visionary in every right, Grace realized that the traditional siloed approach to addressing large- scale societal and economic challenges, such as eradicating poverty, solving global healthcare crises and eliminating gender inequality is ineffective. So she developed a signature, synergistic approach to driving economic growth which has spurred unprecedented strategic alliances between the public and private sector, academic institutions and non-profits. Through her innovative economic development planning and consulting firm, Enyo International, which opened its doors in 2003, Grace has been pioneering efforts to institute her model for achieving shared economic prosperity, known as The Compact, all over the world, with an emphasis on Africa and Least Developed Countries. As a result, Grace is blazing a trail to be followed by urban planning strategists and economists for centuries to come.

Over the course of her career, Grace has spearheaded a number of impactful economic development initiatives in Durham, North Carolina through the city’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development. Her brilliant strategic oversight led to the development and implementation of a groundbreaking roadmap for inclusive and equitable development, a multi-year plan which includes strategic alliances with public private partners yielding over $400M in private investments.

Grace’s contributions and informed voice has earned her recognition from prominent organizations such the African Union and the American Marshall Memorial Fellowship/German Marshall Fund, where she was the first African-American woman to represent the United States in Europe to foster transatlantic relations. But while her award-winning work is leaving her own mark on the world, Grace is more committed to carrying forth the indelible legacy of her grandmother, the late Madam Grace Welsing Ayensu, a former Member of Parliament in the Republic of Ghana. Madame Ayensu devoted her life to service, and it is her example that fueled Grace’s passion for inspiring and elevating others, particularly women, on the Continent and beyond. Grace believes that a nation is only as strong as its women and youth, so she relentlessly champions efforts that create economic equity and empowerment for them all”one community, city and country at a time.