Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Felix Mutati has arrived in the United States of America to attend the 9th African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) Forum which will be officially opened Monday, August 2, 2010.

According to a press statement to the Watchdog by First Secretary for Press at the Zambian Embassy in USA Ben Kangwa, Mutati is accompanied by officials from various Ministries, the Zambia Development Agency, (ZDA), the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and the Private Sector.

The AGOA Forum will be held in two sessions: August 2 – 3 in Washington DC and in Kansas City of Missouri from August 5 – 6, 2010.

The initial two day session in Washington DC will involve government officials with participation by the US Secretaries of State, Commerce and Agriculture and the Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID.

The last two day session of the Forum in Kansas City will focus on agribusiness.

The 2010 AGOA Forum will be held under a unique theme called “New Strategies for a Changing World” coincidentally as most African countries continue to exploit their respective comparative advantages in order to maximize benefits from the AGOA trade preferences.

The summit will host 250 delegates from some 60 countries. Twenty-three African entrepreneurs, including 11 women will attend from 10 African countries.

“Hon. Mutati and his delegation will use the Forum in Washington DC to hold bilateral meetings with his counterpart – United States Trade Representative (USTR), Ambassador Ron Kirk,” said Kangwa.

He also said that other meetings of mutual interest will be held with the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation Council of Africa (CCA), Mr. Stephen Hayes and also with the Chief Executive Officer of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), Ms. Elizabeth Littlefield.

Kangwa further disclosed that ‘in Kansas City, Hon. Mutati and other AGOA Ministers and delegates will tour the Kansas city Board of Trade – which particularly trades in wheat, to learn how the US markets function and why transparency, stability and predictability are important for producers to help them improve agriculture in their countries’.

Latest AGOA Trade Data currently available on AGOA.info


Click here to view a sector profile of Zambia'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)