East Africa: US President Obama extends hand of friendship to EAC
The US president Barack Obama is looking forward to joint efforts in promoting good relations between his country and the East African Community.
President Obama has written to the Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Juma Mwapachu expressing confidence of working together with the EAC in a spirit of peace and friendship to build a more secure world.
With its economy centrally linked to the wider Eastern and Central African market and potential to grow and expand into a significant centre of regional integration and development in Africa, the EAC is steering a steady course to broaden its world outreach and outlook.
The EAC signed the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the USA in August 2008. The EAC-USA TIFA initially covers the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the World Trade Organization Doha Round trade facilitation and capacity building.
According to a press statement by the EAC headquarters, the EAC-USA TIFA and will provide the opening up of full blown economic engagement with the world's leading and largest economy in a multi variety of areas of global economic partnership, including promotion of tourism and trade.
Since 2006 the United States Trade Development Agency (USTDA) has supported the development of the EAC aviation sub sector to the tune of $566,000 towards the development of unified upper airspace of the EAC region, airports development and modernization.
The TIFA with the USA is a major step towards deepening EAC global trade and investment promotion. Building on its model, the EAC is exploring strengthened relations with other strategic partners in the world markets.
Latest AGOA Trade Data currently available on AGOA.info
Click here to view a sector profile of COMESA's bilateral trade with the United States, disaggregated by total exports and imports, AGOA exports and GSP exports.
Other regularly updated trade statistics on AGOA.info include: (click each link to view)