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Following President Obama's inauguration, the Senate will hold confirmation hearings for three key Administration positions: Senator John Kerry (D-MA) for Secretary of State, former Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) for Secretary of Defense, and White House chief counterterrorism advisor John Brennan for director of the CIA. These nominees have strongly supported President Obama's foreign and defense policy, suggesting little policy deviation from President Obama's first term. Confirmations hearings provide an important opportunity for Senators...

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...

While Barack Obama's re-election has been met with enthusiasm across Africa, many are frustrated about a lack of delivery on past promises. If there was one place outside Barack Obama's hometown of Chicago more excited by his November re-election, it was Kogelo. Since Mr Obama's first election, this small market town in western Kenya - the birthplace of the US president’s father - has seen a paved road, electricity, several water wells, and two hotels built. As residents celebrated his victory with Swahili gospel songs, many hoped their...

The Pan-African Business Forum (PABF) has called on President Barak Obama to strengthen the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) which was initiated by George Bush administration. The call was made at a press conference held in Accra over the weekend by the PABF. Speaking to this reporter, the President of the Forum, Prince Prosper Agbesi lauded the contribution of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Millennium Challenge Account to the economic growth of Africa. He however noted that, “when we do our own analysis in terms...

The United States will not restore trade privileges to Madagascar this year, according to a statement received Saturday that cited human rights concerns and the failure to restore democracy in the Indian Ocean nation. Madagascar has been excluded from the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) programme since 2009 when then president Marc Ravalomanana was overthrown in a coup that left Andry Rajoelina in charge of a transitional, non-elected government. "We continue to be alarmed by the current regime's lack of respect for some of the...

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...

Preparation is well underway to successfully host the 2013 African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) forum, according to the Ministry of Trade (MoT). Ministry Corporate Communication Directorate Director, Amakele Yimam, told WIC today committees that will coordinate the preparation process were created at all levels. He said efforts are also underway to draw experiences from two of the six African countries that had got the chance to host the forum, namely from Kenya and Zambia. “The forum will be a good opportunity for Ethiopia to...

US President Barack Obama on Thursday stripped Mali and Guinea-Bissau of their US trade privileges, citing backtracking from democracy in the two countries. In an annual assessment of benefits conferred by the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) programme, Obama added the fledgling nation of South Sudan to the list of African nations enjoying preferential trade treatment. Both Mali and Guinea-Bissau were hit by coups in the last year. US officials said Guinea-Bissau suffers from systemic corruption, and is an epicentre for drugs and...

Presidential Proclamation - African Growth and Opportunity Act TO TAKE CERTAIN ACTIONS UNDER THE AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES     BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION 1. Section 506A(a)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the "1974 Act") (19 U.S.C. 2466a(a)(1)), as added by section 111(a) of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (title I of Public Law 106-200) (AGOA), authorizes the President to designate a country listed in section 107 of the AGOA (19 U.S.C....

The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, a US law passed in 2000, was geared to enable African countries to export over 4,000 products quota-free and duty-free to the US. But a recent paper published by the Centre for the Study of African Economies at Oxford University claimed the AGOA had been inadvertently allowing Chinese apparel producers to send products to the US through Africa, gaining free access but with minimal assembly and value-added for the African countries they operated in. Florie Liser (pictured), assistant US trade...

In September 2012, just as the 3rd Country Fabric was about to expire, a series of events conspired to create the perfect storm for an enhanced AGOA: The non controversial AGOA provision was, in a surprise turn of events, unanimously approved by the US Congress. The bill had, due to partisan gridlock, languished for over a year, and in the process, both American and African businesses suffered loss from the uncertainty of renewal. But the manner in which 3rd Country eventually passed gave hope to the then despondent stakeholders that...

US President Barack Obama has been criticised for having had too little engagement with Africa during his first term. Arguably because of his African heritage, there was much excitement when he was first elected in 2008. However, many Africans have felt let down and left out and the celebrations were, therefore, far more subdued after Obama’s 2012 re-election. There are some signs, though, that Africa could possibly feature more prominently during Obama’s second term. One of these is the fact that his administration has followed up on...

Uganda's business sector is set to get a significant boost, following the launch of the "Doing Business in Africa" campaign, a US initiative aimed at helping American businesses identify and seize opportunities on the African continent. The campaign, which was launched on Nov.30, is an important element of President Barack Obama’s new strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa, according to Dr. Rebecca Blank, the acting US Secretary of Commerce. In a briefing from South Africa to journalists across the continent via conference call, Blank, who...

US President Barack Obama has made it clear that he supports the "reauthorization" of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) beyond its expiry in 2015, but it also requires a congressional green light, according to US undersecretary of commerce for international trade Francisco Sánchez (pictured). Speaking on the sidelines of a trade promotion event by the Western Cape agency Wesgro this weekend, Sánchez said the House of Representatives and Senate “have a lot of discretion” and it would be “nice and neat” to provide a new...

South Africa needed to continue to benefit from the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) not only for its own sake, but also for that of neighbouring African countries, which supplied South African manufacturers exporting to the US, head of the Western Cape Growth Organisation (Wesgro) Nils Flataen said on Friday. AGOA was introduced into law in the US in 2000 to give African exporters tariff and quota-free access to the US market. The act expires in 2015 and Mr Flatten said there were rumblings in the US Senate and Congress that South...

The US government has hinted of renewing the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). AGOA comes to an end in 2015 after Obama signed a continuation of the agreements last year. According to the Acting US Secretary of Commerce, Dr. Rebecca Blank, the government supports an extension of AGOA. "Looking forward, the Administration will work with Congress to ensure that AGOA is renewed in 2015", Dr Blank told journalists via a teleconference November 28, 2012 during the launch of "Doing Business in Africa" campaign. “The administration has...

Government has called for an extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) facility because most Zambian entrepreneurs have not reaped from its benefits due to lack of capacity. Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Bob Sichinga (pictured) said the extension of AGOA would allow Zambian entrepreneurs to benefit greatly from it in terms of capacity building. Mr Sichinga was speaking in Lusaka when he met visiting United States (US) under secretary in the Department of Commerce, Francisco Sanchez, who is leading a trade mission...

Newly re-elected US President Barack Obama, who has been criticised for having had too little engagement with Africa during his first term, has followed up on the June release of his administration’s 'US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa' with a new Department of Commerce-led campaign, dubbed 'Doing Business in Africa' (DBIA). The campaign was officially launched in Johannesburg on Wednesday by Acting Commerce Secretary Dr Rebecca Blank, who hosted a continent-wide briefing on DBIA after having first unveiled it to South African business...

Barack Obama came to the White House promising to "strengthen the African Growth and Opportunity Act to ensure that African producers can access the U.S. market and will encourage more American companies to invest on the continent." As we approach the end of his first term, he did achieve a legislative victory -- but it was largely to keep the status quo, rather than expanding the law. The African Growth and Opportunity Act, signed by President Bill Clinton in 2000, allows several dozen sub-Saharan African countries to export to the U.S....

Given the United States' pivotal role in geo-politics, the world was closely watching the returns from the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 6 almost as intently as most Americans. And when one of the presidential candidates is a "son of Africa"--President Barack Obama's father was from Kenya-- interest from the African continent immensely peaks. After a hard-fought campaign, the re-election of President Barack Obama could present a real opportunity for the United States to increase its economic engagement with Africa, potentially...

Taken at face value, a Barack Obama presidency should be a big deal for Africa. On Election Day I attended an all-nighter organized in Lagos by the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to celebrate America's democracy. Two large screens relayed CNN's coverage while a succession of speakers -- including a recently re-elected Nigerian governor -- took to the stage to reflect on America and its democratic ideals. Outside the hall sat a mock polling booth, where guests filled a ballot paper and dropped it in a box, watched over by life-size cardboard...

When the results of the US presidential election became available on early Wednesday morning South African time, it was clear that Obama had won majorities in the vital swing states, and therefore obtained the 270 votes in the electoral college needed to assure him of four more years in the White House.Although he will only be inaugurated for his second term on 20 January next year , he has several urgent issues to deal with immediately. Most critical of these is avoidance of the so-called fiscal cliff which, if not dealt with by joint...

A senior African Union official says the group looks forward to deepening relations with Washington following Barack Obama’s re-election as U.S. president.Erastus Mwencha, deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission says the AU seeks a strong partnership with Washington to combat terrorism and find solutions to ending hunger.“We celebrated his victory for two reasons. First, we saw it as an opportunity for us to strengthen the relationship that we have started with the United States,” said Mwencha.“The U.S. is a significant...

It's Election Day and we are still being bombarded as usual by diverging claims on how to consolidate and strengthen America as a global economic power.Yet, beyond the rhetoric on proposed remedies for America's trade and foreign policy, there is a way forward that has consistently garnered bipartisan support and which has already led to US job growth, bolstered national security, and helped maintain US economic leadership globally. That strategy rests on aggressively increasing America's trade, business and investment ties with...

The textile and apparel sector from around 40 African countries, which make up for the African Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA), expects to attract investment from local as well as overseas entrepreneurs, but mainly from the Asian continent.Confidence stems from the US extending the third-country fabric clause in garment exports from these countries to the US till Sept 2015, which entails duty-free apparel exports to the US and makes them even more attractive destinations. Secondly, production costs in Asian countries like China are rising,...

Visiting United States Under Secretary of State of Political affairs has commended Uganda for taking advantage of the African Growth Opportunity Act, a move that has benefited the country by accelerating development.According to Wendy R. Sherman, Uganda is singled out as one of the countries that have managed to bolster export trade courtesy of the AGOA market.“I am pleased to see that Ugandans are increasingly able to take advantage of AGOA, and export these wonderful products to the United States. Trade boosts incomes, creates jobs, and...

Four years ago Africa greeted Barack Obama's election with rapture, predicting America's first black president would smother the continent with attention. But instead of warm hand-holding, Africa got hard-headed, security-first policies.Africa's response to Obama's election in November 2008 was nothing short of ecstatic. A Nigerian foreign minister wept, Nelson Mandela hailed it as proof that people should "dare to dream", and Kenya declared a national holiday.The fawning was quickly reciprocated, with Obama visiting Ghana just five months...

Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Demetrios Marantis will visit the United Aryan Ltd. (UAL) factory in Nairobi, Kenya on today, October 22, 2012. The visit will highlight the recent passage by the US Government of a bill that extends the third country fabric provision under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The third country fabric provision of AGOA allows AGOA-eligible African countries to use imported fabric from anywhere in the world for their U.S. destined apparel exports without losing their duty free AGOA...

Ministers from East African Community member states and officials from US government agencies jointly announced on Saturday that they have taken "important steps" to advance a trade and investment partnership. The EAC and the US said they will hold technical talks "at the soonest possible date" regarding negotiations on a proposed investment treaty and trade-facilitation agreement. In talks held in Nairobi on Friday, the two sides also established a framework for a "commercial dialogue" that will formally get underway late next...

Zambia’s manufacturing sector has recorded positive growth following the increase in the number of new entrants on the market, especially companies from the United States of America.Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) president Chance Kabaghe said that from the time the country hosted the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) forum there has been an increase in number of American companies coming to invest in the sector.“From the time we hosted AGOA we have seen a number of big American companies coming to set up here which is...

The 2000 African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) was something of a landmark bill in terms of US-African relations. Signed by then-President Bill Clinton, it was meant to jumpstart the economies of eligible African countries while at the same time nudging them toward the glories of free market liberalism and multi-party democracy. AGOA is the Unites States’ umbrella trade policy act for sub-Saharan Africa, offering preferential agreements to countries “making progress in economic and political reforms.” The act functions as a $10...

In celebration of a long-term relationship that brings delicious South African Citrus to U.S. consumers, Walmart has kicked off a week-long celebration of South Africa for consumers at Walmart stores throughout the northeast region. Walmart executives and leaders of South Africa’s Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum (WCCPF) are hosting consumers to a “Taste of South Africa” beginning Friday, October 12, at the Walmart Supercenter, Levittown, Pa. “Walmart is among the largest importers of South African Summer Citrus to the U.S.,”...

Ten years from now Africa might be the only remaining developing region in the global race for economic growth. Amy Calfas goes in-depth in her winning essay for Fletcher School's “Africa's Turn?” conference.Few scholars have envisioned a day in which African security and economic prosperity were no longer dependent on a constant flow of blue helmets and aid packages. While exceptionally belated, the day has finally arrived in which African private investment has finally surpassed aid exchanges. Today, it is impossible to ignore the...

Today, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis began his three country East Africa visit in Burundi where he met with senior government officials and members of the private sector. Ambassador Marantis met with Second Vice President Gervais Rufyikiri, Commerce Minister Victoire Ndikumana, and other officials who were participating in a conference focused on rooting out corruption in Burundi. The officials discussed the Burundian government's reform agenda and its policies to increase economic growth and reduce poverty,...

Sylvia Professional Catering Services Limited has acquired a Food and Drug Administration export certificate that will allow the company to export over 6, 000 products to the United States market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).Company managing director Sylva Banda said that the certificate would allow her company to export as many products as it could to the US market without trade barriers and for as long as they meet the market standards.Ms Banda said that the acquiring of The FDA certificate was a plus for her company...

[Opinion] Last month, I went on a nine-country trip that took me from West Africa, to East Africa and the Horn, to Southern Africa. At every stop, I saw how America is working with our African partners-governments, the private sector, and civil society-to deliver concrete benefits for people. This work doesn't always draw headlines, and too few Africans and Americans are aware of what we're doing together. So it's worth taking a closer look at what we can accomplish when we build sustainable relationships that empower rather than...

The chief American diplomat for Africa participated in an Internet press conference with reporters across the continent earlier this week. American Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson has had one of those special careers for a diplomat. He has glided between promotion-enhancing, interesting, challenging jobs on Capitol Hill to get an insight into the ways of Congress, at the National Intelligence Council, in increasingly senior positions within the State Department and with stints as US ambassador to Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda once...

The Mozambican textile and clothing industries are beginning to re-emerge after a near total collapse in the 1990s. The sector now has about 20 factories but many are operating below capacity, and producing only when they receive orders, reports Mozambican news agency AIM. At the end of the 1980s there were 78 textile and clothing factories - but they closed, partly due to the obsolescence of their machinery, and partly because the liberalisation of the market meant that Mozambique was inundated by cheap textiles from Asia and second hand...

Many of us in Africa look to the Asian miracle for lessons, one of which is that an ambitious expansion of external trade was key to the region’s social and economic development.For example, nearly half a century ago, countries such as Japan and South Korea embarked on an ambitious program to boost trade and productivity. Once considered developing countries, these countries now have some of the world’s healthiest, wealthiest and best educated populations.African trade with the United States and elsewhere has been expanding in recent...

African countries have been urged to open trade amongst themselves if they want to develop and move their economies forward.Speaking during the Open University of Tanzania (OUT)'s Faculty of Arts and Social Science 20 years' anniversary, the former Prime Minister of Tanzania Mr. Frederick Sumaye said there was a need for African countries to unlock trade amongst themselves for the benefit of their economies.Responding to East African Business Week in Dar e Salaam last week, on why some African countries including Tanzania is still...

The U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia has announced that a trade mission from the United States has in the country on Thursday.According to the Embassy, the trip to Liberia was made possible by the U.S. Commercial Service office based in Oakland, California.Prior to their trip to Liberia, the In Vino Veritas California Wine Trade Development Mission traveled to other African countries including Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya.While in Liberia, the trade delegation will meet U.S. Charge d'Affaires to...

President of the United States of America, Senator Barrack Obama, has declared Nigeria as the world’s next economic success story.He said the discovery was one of the major reasons why his government was committed to helping the country build strong democratic institutions and as well remove constraints to trade and investment through the African Growth and Opportunity, AGOA.Making this declaration at the ongoing US-Nigeria Trade and Investment Forum, organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, NIDOA, in Washington DC, President...

South African exports to the United States increased from US3.5 billion in 2001 to US5 billion to 2011 under the US's AGOA legislation, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said on Wednesday.The US's African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), incorporating the US Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), accorded duty free treatment to the US market for around 5200 products from eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa, he said in written reply to a parliamentary question.Around 43% of South African exports to the US entered under the...

Besides seeking an extension of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) beyond its current expiry date of September 30, 2015, and ensuring South Africa’s continued inclusion under any new arrangement, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has also identified a list of products that it would like to see covered by the non-reciprocal trade agreement. At present, about 43% of South African exports to the US enter under the Agoa programme.In response to a Parliamentary question, Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies says it is...

The Minister of Trade and Industry Dorcus Makgato-Malesu has urged local textile companies to take advantage of the recent extension of provisions of the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA). Currently one local company, Caparrel Botswana, exports to the United States of America (USA) under the AGOA provision.Other textile companies mostly sell their produce to South Africa and Asian nations. In the past, some companies grumbled that the government does not help them to export to the USA under the AGOA provision. The companies complained...

Though Nigeria is a major oil-producing country, it continues to import petroleum products while efforts to diversify the economy are apparently not yielding much.Nigeria’s oil import from the United States (U.S.), for instance, has increased, thereby worsening the trade imbalance between the two countries.The just-released fact sheet of U.S.-Nigeria trade made available to The Guardian and a corresponding table of official figures by the U.S. embassy in Abuja show that the import of petroleum products into Nigeria, which was $185 million...

President Barack Obama's administration, criticized for not doing enough to boost trade with Africa in the face of rising competition from China, has taken steps in recent months to address those concerns and plans to do more.After decades of poor performance, Africa is now home to some of the world's fastest-growing economies and China has been signing contracts to lock in long-term access to the continent's huge resources."Trade and investment is a critical component of the president's vision for the next five years of US policy towards...