Washington, DC — The AGOA Steering Committee of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) announced today December 8 and 9, 2003, as the dates for the Third AGOA Forum Private Sector Session. The Session will focus on U.S.-Africa trade in agriculture, apparel and handicrafts.

Business and government leaders from nearly 40 African countries and the United States are expected to attend. According to CCA President Stephen Hayes, the two-day event will feature more than 20 workshops and plenary meetings.

In addition, a gala reception and luncheons are expected to attract senior U.S. administration and African government and private sector leaders.

Recent statistics from the U.S. government have shown strong growth in African apparel exports to the United States. Agriculture and handicrafts, which employ millions of Africans, are areas of potential growth. The Private Sector Session will explore approaches to kickstarting growth in these two sectors under AGOA.

Registration and detailed program information for the Private Sector Session are available on CCA’s website at www.africacncl.org

The event is organized in conjunction with the U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum, a series of meetings between between trade officials from the U.S. government and their African counterparts.

The Forum is required by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), an American law that provides preferential access to the American marketplace for nearly 6000 African products. The previous Private Sector Session was held in Mauritius in January of this year.

CCA (www.africacncl.org), established in 1993, is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization of more than 170 U.S. companies 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.