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In July, US President Barack Obama visited Africa and shared an important message at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi and at the African Union in Addis Ababa. He said: "As Africa changes, I’ve called on the world to change its approach to Africa. So many Africans have told me, we don’t want just aid, we want trade that fuels progress. We don’t want patrons, we want partners who help us build our own capacity to grow. We don’t want the indignity of dependence, we want to make our own choices…" Today, citizens of...

The East African Community is pushing for a long-term preferential trade agreement with the United States that will remove uncertainties surrounding the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The five member states have submitted their request to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on the modalities and the time to start negotiations on the pact. According to EAC Director General of Customs and Trade Peter Kiguta, the USTR is expected to present the request at the next US Congress meeting. If accepted, the region expects to...

Technical Officials from the East African Community (EAC) and the United States (U.S.) met 12 to 15 February 2014 in Bujumbura, Burundi to discuss Trade Africa and the EAC - U.S. Trade and Investment Partnership (TIP). In particular, the Technical Officials discussed among others, the Ministerial guidance provided in August 2013; AGOA; Regional Investment Treaty; Trade Facilitation; Trade Capacity Building, and Commercial Dialogue. Both Parties reviewed a summary of the last EAC - U.S. Trade Ministerial Meeting held on the sidelines of the...

In what could be a 'breakthrough' for both the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union (EU), the EU announced that "the two entities reached a deal at the level of senior officials on EPAs, more than a decade after negotiations began. A final meeting to officially endorse the deal as it stands is foreseen in Brussels for early February. It will then have to be endorsed by West African Heads of State."   While similar reports in the past were premature, there is strong evidence that this may be correct...

The United States charge d'affaires to The Gambia has assured that his country will continue to seek ways to work together with the latter, extend cooperation and deepen ties, saying the two countries have been partners since pre-independence. Speaking on the topic "the ongoing relationship between The Gambia and USA" during the third annual business dinner, organised in Brufut by the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) in The Gambia, Richard Yoneaka assured that they are open for business in the quest to promote economic...

On September 30, United States Trade Representative Michael Froman wrote a letter to Irving Williamson, chairman of the International Trade Commission, regarding the African Growth and Opportunity Act. In the letter, Froman requested that the International Trade Commission conduct four investigations and provide four reports related to AGOA and our trade relationship with Africa. The results will likely bring sanity to our approach to trade with Africa, and it may very well force changes in how we develop future trade agreements and policy...

Since 2000, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has contributed to more than doubling trade with AGOA-eligible countries. The countries of sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly viable economic partners that deserve focused attention and deeper engagement. If the U.S. fails to advance AGOA beyond a trade-preference arrangement, it risks losing ground to Europe and other nations eager to enter into more robust economic partnerships. Congress and the Obama Administration should work together to renew and upgrade AGOA to advance economic...

President Barrack Obama of the United States recently launched a project dubbed 'Trade Africa' aimed at doubling intra-regional trade in the five partner states of the East African Community (EAC). The project will hopefully see EAC exports to the US go up by 40%, reduce by 15% the average time needed to import or export a container from the ports of Mombasa or Dar es Salaam to land-locked Burundi and Rwanda in the EAC's interior.This new partnership between the US and the EAC will also decrease by 30% the average time a truck takes to...

President Obama on July 1 launched a major trade partnership between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa aimed at expanding trade. Obama told a meeting of 22 chief executive officers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, that "Trade Africa" is designed to expand trade and economic ties between Africa and the United States and global markets. "Today, I'm announcing a new initiative -- Trade Africa -- to boost trade with and within Africa, starting with the East African Community," Obama said at the business roundtable. The initiative aims to...

US President Barack Obama on Sunday night used the keynote address of his visit to the University of Cape Town to set out a vision for a new partnership with Africa that would include, in the immediate term, a large US investment in electricity generation in sub-Saharan Africa and a summit of all African leaders with his government next year. While extremely positive about Africa’s opportunities, Mr Obama was also frank about the continent’s problems, saying that unless Africans could reduce corruption, build genuine democracy and work...

Acting U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Demetrios Marantis met March 29 with Malawi President Joyce Banda in Washington for discussions of how both governments can stimulate two-way trade and investment, strengthen Malawi's business environment and contribute to regional growth. In 2012, two-way U.S.-Malawi trade was $129.9 million — a 7 percent increase from 2011. U.S. exports to Malawi mainly consisted of wheat, pharmaceuticals and machinery, while U.S. imports from Malawi consisted of tobacco, apparel, tea, macadamia nuts and sugar,...

The Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) that is being considered by the US Government with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will help goods move more easily and faster within the sub-region, Sam Ntum, a Senior International Trade Specialist of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, has told the B&FT. Announced on March 29 by the acting United States Trade Representative (USTR), Demetrios Marantis, during a visit to Washington of President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone,...

Africa's international relationships are increasingly hinged on trade and investment rather than strategic security and aid, but attitudes in Washington are slow to change. While many Africans were celebrating President Barack Obama's re-election victory, arguably a more important leadership shift was taking place across the Indian Ocean. Xi Jinping, chosen by the Beijing elite to lead China for the next decade, may not be a household name outside of his home country, but he will be presiding over what may be Africa’s single most...

At a time when the US was struggling to stay on its two feet in the heat of a looming economic meltdown in 2008, were hopes of better trade deals with Africa unrealistic when President Barack Obama was elected into office? Despite the domestic problems in which Obama's administration was embroiled, the criticisms and questions came from many African quarters: Why did Obama wait for nine months after he'd been sworn in before naming his Ambassador to the African Union? Why is China doing better on the continent in terms of trade? With its...

Today the White House announced a new U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa that provides a proactive and forward looking vision grounded in partnership. The new strategy sets forth four strategic objectives, as described below, and commits the United States to elevate its efforts on the first two of these four pillars: strengthening democratic institutions and spurring economic growth, trade and investment. • Strengthen Democratic Institutions: The new strategy commits the United States to work to advance democracy by...

Today, the US Department of State and the Office of the United States Trade Representative announced the conclusion of the Administration's review of the United States' model bilateral investment treaty (BIT) and the release of the revised 2012 model BIT. International investment is a significant driver of America’s economic growth, job creation, and exports. The 2012 U.S. model BIT text will help achieve several important goals of the Obama Administration ensuring that U.S. companies benefit from a level playing field in foreign markets,...

A delegation of the United States government is visiting Maputo until Friday in order to carry out the revision of the United States-Mozambique Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), according to a report in Mozambican newspaper Notícias. Known as TIFA, the agreement that is currently in place between the US and Mozambique was signed in June, 2005. Notícias said that ambassador Demetrios Marantis, the assistant United States Trade Representative, will be working with the Mozambican Ministry for Industry and Trade and with the...

The United States launched exploratory discussions during a November 4 meeting with the East African Community (EAC) in Arusha on a potential new trade and investment partnership. Alfonso Lenhardt, the U.S. ambassador to Tanzania, who is also accredited as the U.S. ambassador to the EAC, opened the meeting. Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for African Affairs Florie Liser led an interagency team of representatives from the departments of State, Commerce and Agriculture, as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in...

Although South Africa is eligible for special benefits under the 1999 US Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), South Africa's clothing exports to the US were increasing more rapidly before AGOA than after AGOA, University of Cape Town Professor David Kaplan has said. Speaking at the Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) conference, the former Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) chief economist said South Africa's share of the US market has been declining post-AGOA, while the share of other African countries that are...