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The Senate is set to vote on a bill authorizing the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. foreign aid agency that gives large grants to developing countries, to enter regional compacts in Africa. What's next: The bill, which passed the House last month, authorizes MCC to support increased regional integration efforts and cross-border trade in Africa by removing single-country investment restrictions. If signed into law by President Trump, the bill will give MCC the freedom to facilitate U.S. engagement in the transportation,...

The US Ambassador to Uganda Deborah Malac has cautioned Uganda on the bureaucracies and red tape in investment procedures saying they discourage many potential investors. Malac said this during a meeting with the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Amelia Kyambadde to discuss trade relations between USA and Uganda on Tuesday 6th March 2018 at the Ministry of trade offices. Malac revealed that many American investors have approached the embassy complaining and frustrated due to the corruption and government bureaucracy that...

Kenya's agenda for talks with United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday will be dominated by economic and trade issues, the country's top diplomat said on Thursday. Monica Juma, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade , said other issues in the agenda will include regional security, wildlife management and deepening participation of U.S. in African Union affairs. "Deepening and growing bilateral relations will be key part of the discussion. The talks will focus on how we can grow...

1. On January 11, 2018, the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) transmitted to me a report on his investigation into the effect of imports of steel mill articles (steel articles) on the national security of the United States under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862). 2. The Secretary found and advised me of his opinion that steel articles are being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States. The...

Up to now, the Trump administration has had no clear or coherent policy toward Africa. The president met with visiting African heads of state on the margins of the 2017 UN General Assembly, where he mispronounced ‘Namibia’ and talked about his friends making money in Africa in a way reminiscent of the “scramble for Africa.” He has met with Paul Kagame, the current chairperson of the African Union, but otherwise his interaction with Africans and Africa has been minimal.  Nikki Hailey, U.S. ambassador to the UN, made a...

Remarks by Rex W. Tillerson, Secretary of State, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia MR CABRERA: Good morning, everyone. Thank you so much for being with us today for a very, very special presentation. I’m honored to welcome our Secretary of State to George Mason, who, as you know, is on his way to a very important trip to Africa. And I’m slightly biased, but I think his choice of George Mason for this presentation couldn’t be any better. George Mason is the home to students and faculty from over 130...

Banning the import of second-hand clothes is not the answer to reviving East Africa's textile industry. But the deal to phase out the imports also hands another political score to the US, writes DW's Isaac Mugabi. The move to not ban the sale of second-hand clothing was a relief to petty traders. In 2015, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania agreed on a three-year plan to gradually phase out the importation of second-hand clothes and apparel from the United States in particular. Taxes were increased exponentially on...

MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you very much for joining us for today’s teleconference. Today we will have senior State Department officials previewing the Secretary’s upcoming travel to the continent of Africa. I want to remind you that today’s call is on background, and I’ll describe the attribution in just a few seconds. Today’s conference – our briefers today will be [Senior State Department Official One]; from here forward he will be referred to as Senior State Department Official One. We are also...

The United States has extended restrictive measures imposed on senior ruling Zanu PF officials and companies, which were set to expire this month. The extension was made in a notice signed by President Donald Trump on Friday, March 2, 2018, which stressed that the situation in Zimbabwe has not yet transformed following the removal of Robert Mugabe from power. “In November 2017, dynamics within the factionalized ruling party of Zimbabwe, the African National Union-Patriotic Front party, reached a head. Facing impeachment, Robert Mugabe...