Africa and The Middle East

The U.S. is concerned that South Africa is not living up to its avowed neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict to the benefit of Russia, which could put its African Growth and Opportunity Act benefits in jeopardy, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa said this week. Reuben Brigety, who took over the U.S. ambassador role in Pretoria last year, told reporters on Thursday he “was confident” that weapons were loaded onto a Russian vessel docked in South Africa, according to a...

The U.S. and Kenya on Thursday completed a round of text-based negotiations under their Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership, addressing a host of issues including agriculture and small enterprises, the two countries announced. The April 17-20 round in Nairobi -- the first, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; the second, according to the Kenyan government -- followed what the U.S. terms “productive conceptual discussions” held in February in Washington, DC. The U.S. delegation, which included officials from...

The U.S. International Trade Commission has completed its review of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, finding that the program significantly benefits certain sectors but has minimal effects on the continent at large. Then-House Ways & Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-MA) last January requested the ITC fact-finding investigation on AGOA and its usage among sub-Saharan African countries as lawmakers considered its future, and the future of U.S.-Africa relations. AGOA is set to expire in 2025. The ITC found that...

Outside advisers to the president on doing business in Africa want the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to accelerate work on a bilateral trade dialogue with Kenya, they said this week, singling out digital trade as a key area for cooperation. Members of the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa on Thursday made a slew of recommendations to officials across multiple government agencies on how the Biden administration can better support both U.S. business and African economies...

The Commerce Department next week will convene a meeting of private-sector advisers focused on expanding U.S.-Africa businesses ties to hear recommendations for how the Biden administration should deal with countries on the continent. The President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa on April 13 will meet with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Deputy Secretary Don Graves and other officials to “present, deliberate, and adopt a new set of recommendations to the President on strengthening U.S. commercial relations in Africa,” according...