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As democracies that stand for human rights, South Africa and the US should speak with one voice on international issues, says US President Barack Obama. While South Africa and the US may share a passion for protecting human rights, the countries are, however, poles apart when it comes to tackling global challenges. An example close to home is differences in the approach of the US and South Africa to the situation in Zimbabwe — while the US prefers sanctions, South Africa has opted for mediation. On Cuba, Syria, Libya and the Congo the...

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to allow African countries to access the US market without paying duty will be "renewed and improved," US President Barack Obama says during his visit to Senegal."AGOA will end in two years time. But I will seek for modalities to renew and improve the law to regenerate more trade and employment opportunities," the US president told a joint press conference with his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall. He said the US will work more in the commercial sector with the West Africa region, noting that...

Ethiopia is "an important partner" of the United States in the East Africa region and one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, a senior State Department official told a US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee June 20. Donald Yamamoto, the acting assistant secretary of state for African affairs and a former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia, told the lawmakers that the Ethiopian economy has been growing by double-digit percentages over the last five years. However, he cautioned that Ethiopia-U.S. business relationships...

South Africa regards the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and its inclusion in the scheme, as vital for its future trade with the US, and will be lobbying hard for a 15-20 year rollover, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said on Wednesday. Mr Davies said South Africa would be lobbying for the extension both during this week’s visit by US President Barack Obama and in Washington later this year.He said he believed the act, which grants duty free access of specific products from Africa into the US market, had...

AGOA has benefitted South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa enormously since its introduction in 2000. The imminent arrival of US president, Barack Obama, on a state visit to South Africa is a perfect opportunity for government to discuss its extension when it expires in 2015. South African government and business leaders need to maximise the effectiveness of their lobbying in a concerted effort that will result in the U.S. government’s African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) being extended when it expires in 2015. This is the view of...

The US remains one of South Africa's most important economic partners and President Barack Obama will soon be here as part of his three-stop African tour. One of the official objectives of the visit will be to improve Africa's economic growth and promote international trade. This could cover any number of issues and will be a fairly wide-ranging discussion. What is not clear is where the two governments’ very different trade-policy trajectories will converge. South Africa shows little appetite for bilateral engagement on trade and...

Today, US President Barack Obama begins a weeklong trip to Africa where he will visit Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. His mission, according to US officials, is to push US investment and help strengthen Africa's democratic institutions. US-Africa relations under Obama have been relatively low-key. This will be only the president’s second visit to the continent, and while the likes of Brazil, India and China have been increasingly active in Africa over the past few years, US engagement has been notably restrained. We took the...

In the face of a decline in value of capital investment in the garment and textile industry for the second consecutive year, Kenya is seeking an at least 10-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) that is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2015. Kenya is also seeking an extension of the third-country fabric rule of origin for the entire period of AGOA extension. Representatives of the Government of Kenya and the African Cotton & Textiles Industries Federation (ACTIF) participated in an AGOA strategy meeting...

South Africa plans to use the upcoming visit of US President Barack Obama to reinforce its position that the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) should be extended for a sustained period beyond its September 30, 2015, expiry date and that South Africa should remain a beneficiary, despite its relative development when compared with other beneficiaries. However, given that the power to extend Agoa lies not with the Obama administration, but with Congress, South African officials will also seek to use the networking opportunities...

Days ahead of only his third official African visit, analysts are split over whether Barack Obama has been overlooking a golden goose in his ancestral continent or shrewdly dodging a white elephant. The 44th US president inspired millions when he told an audience in Ghana during his first year in office that he would help build prosperity in a resurgent sub-Saharan region many believe will be the world's next economic powerhouse. When he returns on June 26 for a tour of Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, however, he will encounter...

South Africa's growing importance in regional and international affairs as well as its relations with the United States will come under the spotlight when US President Barack Obama visits the country later this month. Obama is scheduled to make his first trip to South Africa as US president when he and his wife Michelle travel to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania from 26 June to 3 July. "For the ordinary South African, this [visit] should be seen as some kind of a positive reaction from the Americans, that America recognises that there is...

The United States government yesterday stressed the need and importance for foreign investors in the country and across the world to do businesses in Nigeria and all other parts of the African continent. Speaking at ongoing African-US Trade Exhibition held at the Baltimore Convention Center, the Governor of Maryland State, Mr. Martin O'Malley, maintained that doing businesses with Nigeria and the entire Africa was very important to the United States-African community and the United States-Africa trade, which he said had grown to $21...

United States of America ambassador to Zambia Mark Storella has described his country and Zambia's relations as a strong partnership that require further growth in prosperity based on investment and trade. Ambassador Storella notes that the future of Zambia and the United states of america’s partnership will generate prosperity for both countries based on increased bilateral investment and trade. Ambassador Storella also notes that American companies see great promise in Zambia the reason why they are on a rise in the country in terms...

Following is the text of a joint statement issued June 11 by the United States of America and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia: The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, in association with the United States Government, will host the 2013 U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum also known as the AGOA Forum, on August 12-13, 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The theme of this year's AGOA Forum is "Sustainable Transformation through Trade and Technology". The...

In 2003, the government proposed a ban on mivumba (imported second hand clothes). The aim was to create domestic demand for textiles made in Uganda, including those by the Bugolobi-based Tri-Star Apparels factory. The latter, although owned and managed by a Sri Lankan, was President Museveni’s brainchild. Mr Museveni wanted Ugandans to be among the first to seize the opportunity to break into the American market after successful negotiations for Africa’s increased market share in the Western world under the African Growth Opportunity Act...

The United States Embassy in Tanzania has described President Barack Obama's visit to the country, as aimed at demonstrating the importance US attached to deepening ties with Africa. Speaking to journalists yesterday in Dar es Salaam at the news conference US Ambassador to Tanzania Alfonso Lenhardt the visit will reinforce the growing ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa through expanding economic growth, investment, and trade; strengthening democratic institutions; and investing in the next generation of African leaders. Lenhardt...

Since the collapse of the Textile industry in the nineties, there has been a clamour for the industry that used to be a source of employment to many people to be revamped. It has been said in many fora that Nigerians must not wait for people from other economies to clothe them. Instead, stakeholders should begin to act on how they can export local brands to other countries. The possibility of getting Presidential support for Nigerians to always wear made-in-Nigeria fabrics on May Day and Independence Day celebration and to create a...

Negotiations leading to the Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement (Tipa) between the EAC and the United States are reasonable, the Minister of Trade and Industry has said. Francois Kanimba was reacting to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Uganda which on Tuesday petitioned the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), which is sitting in Kampala, to take a more defined role in negotiations leading to the deal.  A petition signed by 22 organisations partly decries what it terms as onerous drafting of several provision of...

  Ambassadors of African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Eligible member states in the United States of America in partnership with other major stake-holders (the African Union Permanent Representation Mission to the United States, Director for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management at the World Bank, and Representatives of United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)) have begun reviewing their activities and plans in preparation for the 12th AGOA forum, scheduled for summer this year in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. The review...

Trillions of tons of gas, a by-product of the US shale oil industry, is burnt because low prices make harnessing it for commercial use uneconomical. Sikonathi Mantshantsha examines how Sasol will use its propriety technology to create value out of the gas and, in the process, double its revenue. A US oil boom brought about by hydraulic fracturing is releasing vast quantities of unwanted shale gas into the atmosphere. Trillions of tons of gas are burnt because prices are low and technology to convert it into useful fuel is scarce. So much of...

African leaders are skeptical about President Obama's engagement of sub-Saharan Africa, in part, because he has been there only once since becoming president, visiting Ghana in 2009 for less than 24 hours. What's more, when Mali's government called out for help to subdue Islamist extremists who had overrun the northern part of the country, the Obama administration demurred. Mistrust and resentment exist in sub-Saharan Africa, and present a challenge for the administration as Mr. Obama plans to visit Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania from...

US President Barack Obama's visit to Africa will be dominated by discussions on additional funding being sought from the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) by Senegal and Tanzania, which he will visit next month along with South Africa. Mr Obama will be in Africa from June 26 to July 3, his longest official visit to Africa. Tanzania has exhausted the $698.1m it received in the first round of MCA loans and will seek to qualify for a second round of funding, an official said on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Ethiopia on Sunday....

The US Embassy Wednesday organised a seminar on Franchise at the Sunswing Hotel in Kololi. The seminar was designed to educate interested Gambian private sector operators on the procedures for acquiring a US Franchise and the rules and regulations of operating such a business. Speaking at the occasion, the US ambassador, Edward Alford, said that his embassy and the Gambia Ministry of Trade have a common desire to increase US-Gambia bilateral trade and investment. He told the gathering that in the US, the private sector has over the past few...

It's not luxurious, but Goldfinch Garments, the Chinese-owned South African factory where Sindisizwe Zwane works nine hours a day, is far from the idea of a sweatshop: the ventilation is decent, the lighting is good and basic safety measures are in place. South Africa says its garment industry is better regulated and workers are better paid than in ultra low-cost producers in Asia, such as Bangladesh, where the collapse of a factory killed more than 1 100 people last month. The ANC-led government, with close links to labour unions, wants...

Tanzania's performance in regards to exporting goods under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has not been satisfactory as compared to countries like Kenya, the government announced last week. However in recent years, the trend has improved. AGOA was introduced by the United States government in 2000 to encourage sub-Saharan countries export products to the American market on a duty/quota free basis. Total trade between Tanzania and the US has grown from $143.8 million in 2006 to $346.7 million in 2012 which is more than...

The 2013 African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum which will be held in Ethiopia will be instrumental in strengthening ties between Sub-Saharan African countries, Ethiopian Ministry of Trade (MoT) said. Ethiopia is preparing to host the 12th AGOA forum which will be held in June 2013. A delegation from US has recently visited Ethiopia to assess the preparation. “The forum will help sub Saharan African countries to link up in investment,” Amakele Yimam, Director of Corporate Communication Directorate at Ministry of Trade, told...

On April 22, the East Africa (EA) Trade Hub took its innovative Origin Africa campaign to New York. The EA Trade Hub's message: Africa is the New Frontier for Business. Held in the famed Paramount Theatre at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square, the event brought together African designers, manufacturers, exporters and U.S.-based buyers and retailers for a panel discussion on how to increase commercial engagement with Africa. From the emerging designer/entrepreneur to the large capacity exporter to the niche brand in the U.S., Africa...

South Africa's Clothing, Textiles, Leather and Footwear sectors have potential to create much needed employment and boost competitiveness, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said recently. DTI Director-General Lionel October said the Clothing and Textiles Competitiveness Programme (CTCP) introduced by Pretoria last year has breathed a new life into the sectors where new decent jobs are being created. “Local retailers are increasing procurement from local manufacturers and there is confidence starting to be shown by the new...

The Lesotho Precious Garments factory is bustling with industry as hundreds of machinists, mostly women, bend over sewing machines and turn brightly coloured fabrics into shirts destined for the US market. Outside the gates, dozens of people sit in the morning sun, hoping that they too might find work in the textile plant on an industrial estate in the heart of Maseru. “They are here every day, many spend the night – they are desperate for jobs and stay outside for days hoping to be hired,” says Nkopane Monyane, regional manager at...

The Source Africa 2013 trade show, supported by the USAID Southern Africa Trade Hub, took place at the Cape Town International Convention Center from April 9-12, 2013. Source Africa was a showcase for the best textiles and apparel that Africa has to offer, giving the world a first-hand look at the quality, reliability and sophistication of African suppliers and service providers. The centerpiece of Source Africa was a trade expo and matchmaking program featuring more than 125 world-class garment and textile suppliers displaying an extensive...

The Clothing and Textiles Competitiveness Programme (CTCP) has breathed life into sectors where new decent jobs are being created, thereby stopping the decline in these sectors, says Department of Trade and Industry (dti) Director General Lionel October. Speaking at the official opening of a four-day Source Africa 2013 event, which is being held in Cape Town, October said that South Africa has been able to stop the decline of the clothing, textiles, leather and footwear sectors by implementing strategies which made the sectors globally...

The United States is working with West African countries to reach a trade and investment agreement that supports efforts at economic growth and integration as American companies increasingly look toward Africa for business opportunities. U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis told AllAfrica that discussions on the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) took place last week during a visit to Washington of four African leaders, including three from West...

The U.S. can't afford to ignore investment and trade with Africa now that countries like China and India are increasingly investing in African countries. Witney Schneidman argues that the U.S. must extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act beyond its 2015 expiration and proposes some new initiatives to help American firms do more business across Africa. This chapter is part of 'Top Five Reasons Why Africa Should Be a Priority for the United States'. Read the full report here and tell us why you think Africa matters to the U.S. (Download...

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,...

Chinese President Xi Jinping begins an African tour this week where he will seek to bolster economic ties between China and the continent. In visiting so soon after taking the reins of power, Xi is sending a strong signal about the importance of maintaining a strategic relationship with Africa. No doubt the Chinese president sought to tamp down concerns that China may be exploiting the continent’s vast resources to drive economic growth back home without making real investments that can improve African lives as well. His visit sends...

The value of Botswana's textile exports fell by two thirds to P609.6 million last year, as market access and operational constraints deepened in the ailing sector. Bank of Botswana figures released recently indicate that in 2012, textile exports averaged P152.4 million per quarter, swinging from a high of P330.4 million between January and March to a low of P79.3 million in the second quarter. By comparison, 2011 textile exports powered home at P1.8 billion, averaging P454.4 million per quarter and ranging between P556.3 million to P335.3...

South Africa faces an international trade dilemma that may determine its international geopolitical placing and its economic growth modalities for decades. In 2015, the US's African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) will expire. Agoa enables most South African-manufactured products to be imported in US markets without duties or quota limitations. Agoa has supported the expansion and survival of our textile and automotive industries, among others. Its lapsing will have disastrous effects on our industry. When she visited South Africa,...

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,...

A senator on Thursday called for early renewal of trade benefits for Africa as part of a broader strategy to counter growing Chinese investment and influence on the continent of nearly one billion people. "America is losing ground and ceding economic opportunities in Africa to competitors," Senator Chris Coons, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, said in a report from his office. "China, which has made dramatic inroads across the continent in recent years, may undermine or even counter value-driven...

Over the past 15 years, the African political and economic landscape has changed a great deal. In 2000, The Economist referred to the continent as "Hopeless Africa", and in 2011 the same magazine referred to the same place as "rising Africa". In this week’s issue, The Economist includes a special report in which it refers to Africa as the “Hopeful Continent” and uses terms such as emerging and aspiring to describe Africa. Recently, other analysts have referred to the new Africa in similar terms. But as Africa has changed, United...

In order to fully capitalize from domestically produced cotton, the Tanzanian Cotton Board (TCB) has sought revival of textile industries in the country. TCB Director General Gabriel Mwalo said presently Tanzania exports around 70 percent of the domestically produced cotton to other countries in raw form, and revival of the textile factories would facilitate value addition. Mr. Mwalo was presenting a paper at a meeting of cotton stakeholders organized by the International Business and Trade Tanzania Initiative (IBUTTI). The meeting was...

Africa's trade with the United States grew by more than 500 per cent between 2001 and 2011, but many African countries missed out on that five-fold growth, a leading Washington expert told African Development Bank (AfDB) staff recently. Sherman E. Katz, a senior advisor at the Centre for the Study of Presidency and Congress in Washington DC, gave a talk entitled “US Trade Policy under the New Administration: What Does it Mean for Africa?” at a Bank Staff Seminar in Tunis, organized by the AfDB’s African Development Institute in...

Sentiment within the US business community was very bullish about South Africa and the African continent, it was reported on Thursday. This is despite of worries about skills, competitiveness and regulatory environment in South Africa, according to I-Net Bridge. The website cited US Senator Christopher Coons (Delaware), who was speaking at the launch of the US-SA Business Council. I-Net Bridge quoted Coons as saying: “The challenges raised by US businesses were not insurmountable and that they could be addressed.” The US-SA Business...

Exports from sub-Saharan Africa to the US, which had begun to pick up after plunging in the wake of Wall Street's 2008 implosion, dipped again last year - this time by 34% - and do not look as if they will recover soon. This is not something US trade policy, in the form of the African Growth and Opportunity Act’s (Agoa’s) preferential tariff treatment for most African products, can do much about in the immediate term, even if the act is made more generous when it comes up for renewal in 2015. It’s a problem of waning demand. Oil is...

Zambia's government is saddened that Zambia has not exploited the United States of America market under the African Growth Opportunity (AGOA) treaty due to failure to comply with the standards in that market. Commerce, Trade and Industry Permanent Secretary Stephen Mwansa said the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) and Zambia Weights and Measures (ZW&M) should assist in enhancing quality and standards for the country to benefit from the AGOA treaty. Mr Mwansa said lack of proper support infrastructure has limited the production of...

Nigeria's cotton and textile industry was in the 80's a key player in the national economy particularly in the provision of livelihood for about 20 percent of the population with 600,000 work force operating close to 170 textile mills across the country. The industry then generated an annual turnover of $8.95 billion; an average of 25% of the sector's gross domestic product (GDP) which accounted for not less than 10% of corporate income taxes. Figures obtained from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) shows that 1.3 million...