Washington, DC — WHAT: CCA (Corporate Council on Africa) Roundtable, Trade as an Engine for Africa's Development: The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act and Gala Reception Honoring U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
WHERE: Crowne Plaza Monterrey Hotel, Avenida Constitucion 300 Ote., Monterrey, Mexico
WHEN: Thursday, March 21, 2002, 2:30 p.m. (Roundtable Opens)
SPEAKERS: Baledzi Gaolathe, Minister of Finance & Development, Botswana
Jayan Cuttarree, Minister of Trade, Mauritius
Alan Larson, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economics, Business & Agricultural Affairs
Thelma Askey, Director of U.S. Trade & Development Agency
James Harmon, Chairman of CCA
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES: Media already accredited to cover the U.N. conference in Monterrey may cover the Roundtable and Gala Reception.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
This roundtable, held by the CCA at the request of the U.S. Department of State, will showcase new commerce and investment opportunities in Africa generated by the U.S. Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
The AGOA legislation provides nearly 2000 African products from 35 sub-Saharan African countries the most liberal access to the U.S. market available to any country or region with which the United States does not have a Free Trade Agreement. AGOA also serves to promote American investment in African manufacturing facilities.
Nearly 200 American companies make up the Corporate Council on Africa, which, since 1992, has been the leading private sector organization dedicated to strengthening trade and investment ties between the U.S. and Africa. CCA is a 501 (c) (3) organization whose members represent nearly 85 percent of total U.S. private sector investments in Africa. The CCA website is at www.africacncl.org