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2018 has been an interesting year for Africa, with various events and trends becoming visible. 2016 saw the effects of the slowdown of China’s economic growth due to its rebalancing of its economy and the end of the commodity price super cycle. 2017 brought some relief. In Africa, 2018 demonstrated a number of continued trends, but also some new events. This is Part I. Follow the links to Part II and Part III.  Trend 1: Foreign investment in Africa Africa has been the recipient of foreign investment form a variety of foreign...

Editor's Note: On March 26, 2019, Brahima Coulibaly testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations. His written testimony on Africa's rapid transformation and U.S.-Africa relations follows. Thank you, Chairwoman Bass and Ranking Member Smith, for your leadership with respect to U.S. engagement with Africa. Your active role in fostering the bipartisan cooperation that has historically characterized U.S.-Africa legislation is exemplary. Thank...

The country’s textile and apparel exports to the United States under AGOA, fell to just $3,000 (P32,100) in 2018, the first numbers showing the impact of the relocation to Lesotho of the last exporting firm. Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act’s duty and quota free provision, Botswana textile firms were shipping off P1.8 billion in stock to the US at the peak in 2008. Becky Geiger, an international trade specialist in the US Department of Commerce’s Office of Textiles, Consumer Goods and Materials told BusinessWeek that the...

While on a visit to Kigali, Tibor P. Nagy, Jr, the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, has introduced a new official and the role he will play on the continent. Nagy announced that Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will visit South Africa and Angola from March 12 to March 18 to hold discussions with government officials, and continue ongoing bilateral ties between the U.S. and the two countries. Sullivan will be also broach the topic of the current land reformmoves in South Africa with President Cyril...

Editor's Note:  Below is a viewpoint from Chapter 6 of the  report, which explores six overarching themes on the triumphs of the past years as well as strategies to tackle the remaining obstacles for Africa.  What do India, Turkey, Japan, China, and the European Union have in common with Africa that the United States does not? Each country and the EU have held two or more summits with African heads of state. While there were positive aspects in the Trump administration’s Africa strategy that was released late last...

The decision by US president Donald Trump within the next three months on whether or not to impose tariffs on the imports of vehicles and their components will have a significant effect on SA, and could result in job losses.  US embassy spokesperson Robert Mearkle confirmed that the US secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross had formally submitted the results of an investigation by that country's department of commerce into the effect of imports of automobiles and automobile parts on US national security, to the White House on February...

On March 1, 2019, the United States Trade Representative released President Trump’s 2019 Trade Policy Agenda and Annual Report, outlining how the Administration’s trade policies are benefitting American workers, contributing to the strongest U.S. economy in decades, and rebalancing America’s trade relationships and the global economy. In just two years, the Administration has already made significant progress in implementing its trade agenda. As our policies continue to take effect, President Trump’s leadership is charting a course...

Recently, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) under its African Growth and Opportunity Act Trade Resource Centre (AGOA-ATRC) organised a one day workshop for export ready and potential exporters in Kano. NEPC, the Federal Government’s agency in charge of promotion of all non-oil export trained participants on how to export under AGOA into the United States and enjoy maximum benefit. The Regional Coordinator of the NEPC, South West, Mr. Babatunde Faleke speaks with Omolara Akintoye on why Nigerians need to tap into the...

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), an initiative of the United States Government, allows low-income countries to access the US market on very favourable trade terms.  The implementation of the new AGOA Strategy will allow Sierra Leone to benefit from duty free access to US markets when exporting products produced in the country.  The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) in collaboration with the International Growth Centre (IGC) will tomorrow Tuesday 12 February, 2019 launch the National AGOA Response Strategy at the...

Africa has generally ranked near the bottom of US foreign policy priorities. Historically, two-term presidents have waited until their second term to establish their legacies on the continent, and many one-term presidents have neglected it altogether. US President Donald J. Trump has surprised many by bucking this trend.  In December, US National Security Advisor John Bolton unveiled a formal strategy for Africa unveiled a formal strategy for Africa. The document was originally slated for public release but has...