Johannesburg, South Africa – November 1, 2023 – British A. Robinson, Prosper Africa Coordinator, will join a high-level U.S. government delegation to attend the 20th U.S.-sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum on November 2-4, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Forum, known as the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum, is an annual gathering of leaders from the United States and African AGOA-eligible countries, business, and civil society to discuss deepening trade and investment ties between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa.
Enacted in 2000, the U.S.-Africa trade law provides eligible sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to the U.S. market for over 6,800 eligible products under AGOA and the Generalized System of Preferences program. This year’s Forum comes at a pivotal time as the AGOA legislation is set to expire in 2025.
Delivering on its commitment to boost U.S.-Africa trade and investment, the U.S. Government’s Prosper Africa initiative launched in 2023 new initiatives and partnerships to increase African exports into the U.S. market. According to the United States Trade Representative (USTR), AGOA (including GSP) imports into the U.S. for 2021 totaled $6.7 billion, an increase compared to $4.2 billion in 2020.
“Prosper Africa is not just a way to do trade and investment, but to do it on an exponential scale,” said Coordinator Robinson. “Through robust outreach and awareness building efforts, Prosper Africa is closing the information gap on AGOA utilization, forging transformative partnerships between African suppliers and U.S. buyers, and expanding access to trade finance.”
The AGOA Forum Private Sector Dialogue, to be held on November 2, will convene African government and private sector leaders to weigh in on deliberations for the official AGOA Ministerial meeting. Coordinator Robinson will participate in a series of high-level roundtables and events to better understand private sector needs related to AGOA and accelerate exports under AGOA.
Prosper Africa Coordinator. Robinson will participate in the following sessions:
November 2, 2023
- 9:45a.m. – Not Just Another Renewal: AGOA’s Changing Role in Deepening U.S.-Africa Trade and Investment. Opening Breakout Session, Private Sector Dialogue
- 5:00p.m. – Most Important Takeaways/Ways Forward, Private Sector Dialogue November 3, 2023
- 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.- Boosting and Diversifying Exports Under AGOA through Initiatives Including Prosper Africa’s Buyer-Supplier Network, Panel Co-Chair. Breakout Session, Ministerial November 4, 2023
- 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. –What’s Next in our U.S. Africa Trade Relations: Complementing AGOA to Elevate our Partnership Panel, Plenary 3, Respondent
About Prosper Africa Prosper Africa is a Presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa by catalyzing transformative two-way trade and investment flows. Through Prosper Africa, the U.S. Government partners with businesses and investors to advance deals, promote market opportunities, and strengthen business and investment climates.
