In this workshop Loretta Awuah will look at the earliest examples of commerce and raising finance in Africa and the diaspora, as well as showcase famous black entrepreneurs in Africa, the Caribbean, North and South America and the UK. The presentation will also look at the current state of affairs concerning black business owners in the UK i.e. challenges and experiences through recent published reports, and the support that is out there to support entrepreneurs locally and nationally, and also within communities through the practice of group economics.