Washington, DC — Anticipated to be the largest U.S.-Africa business conference ever held in the United States, the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) will host the fourth biennial U.S.-Africa Business Summit June 24-27, 2003 in Washington, D.C. The goal of the Summit is to facilitate export/import trading, identify agents, representatives and distributors, explore joint venture partnerships and strategic alliances, and to promote foreign direct investment in Africa. Key private and public sector representatives with the common goal of increasing business ties between the U.S. and Africa will attend.
The White House has confirmed high profile representation. Ten African heads of state have already confirmed their attendance, and others are expected to participate. Given the high level delegations, the Summit will serve as a venue to discuss important policy issues. Citing the Summit as the key setting for a U.S.-Africa trade meeting, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zeollick and Mauritian Trade Minister Jayan Cuttarree have invited all AGOA trade ministers to participate in the Summit; they will hold a closed workshop in the morning and speak in open workshops, many focusing on small business opportunities, in the afternoon. New policy announcements on issues such as oil & gas and finance are also anticipated.
The theme of the June Summit is "Building Partnership" between U.S. and African companies; this year special emphasis will be placed on linking small and medium sized enterprises. The scope of companies in attendance will range from Fortune 500s to one-woman-owned businesses. Over fifty workshops will cover a broad range of topics related to business opportunities between the U.S. and Africa. Workshop tracts include Agribusiness, AGOA, Finance, Health Care, Oil & Gas, Transportation & Infrastructure and Travel, Arts & Entertainment as well as regional and country specific panels. To ensure that private sector partnerships are forged, an array of networking opportunities will be available and facilitated as a crucial element of the Summit.
CCA President Stephen Hayes identifies the Summit as the most important U.S.-Africa trade meeting to date. He points out the value of the conference for participants from both continents: "If you are serious about doing business with Africa, you must have reliable partners on both sides of the Atlantic. This conference is designed to build these partnerships." An additional testament to the Summit's global significance is the anticipated participation of a high level Chinese delegation with more experience doing business in Africa than most U.S. companies. They will offer participants their expertise in a workshop titled "China's Investment in Africa: Lessons for U.S. Businesses."
The Summit will include a U.S.-Africa Trade Show featuring up to 180 booths. The diverse displays will range from large U.S. corporations to local African handicrafts and everything in between. The exhibition will introduce participants to opportunities for inter and intra-continental partnerships as well provide individuals with a meeting space to begin talks.
CCA, established in 1992, is a nonpartisan 501 (c) (3) membership organization of over 150 U.S. corporations dedicated to strengthening the commercial relationship between the U.S. and Africa. CCA members represent nearly 85 percent of total U.S. private sector investments in Africa. CCA's website is at www.africacncl.org.
