Washington, D.C. — 2nd Annual Conference to Engage Key Stakeholders in Infrastructure Development in Africa
Leocadia I. Zak, Acting Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), will serve as a panelist on the "Infrastructure Project Success Stories" plenary session as part of The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) 2007 U.S.-Africa Infrastructure Conference, it was announced today.
The 2nd annual U.S.-Africa Infrastructure Conference will be held at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. from October 8-10, 2007.
"USTDA shares CCA's commitment to infrastructure development because we recognize the crucial importance of infrastructure to trade," said Zak. "We look forward to continuing to advance infrastructure projects that will enable the private sector to serve as a catalyst for development."
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency works to build partnerships between U.S. companies and overseas project sponsors to bring proven private sector solutions to developmental challenges. USTDA is designed to help countries establish a favorable trading environment and a modern infrastructure that promotes sustainable economic development. The agency provides access to U.S. private sector expertise to its overseas partners in the areas of trade capacity building and sector development and project definition and investment analysis.
Ms. Zak assumed the duties of Acting Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency in the Spring of 2007 and has served as Deputy Director since January 2006.
As a panelist on the conference's first plenary session, Ms. Zak will highlight the growing impetus behind infrastructure development in Africa and assess some of the key priorities for ensuring that new projects are successfully completed. Specific opportunities for U.S. companies to support African infrastructure development will also be discussed.
Aptly titled "Building on Stability," this year's U.S.-Africa Infrastructure Conference will highlight African countries that have laid the foundation for investment in infrastructure development through sound economic policies.
A key aspect of this year's conference will be the increased focus on risk management in Africa. Experts will discuss best practices, and strategies to minimize risks. In addition, business opportunities in key growth sectors including water, security, energy, roads and rails, transportation, as well as information and communications technology (ICT), will be highlighted.
To date, event sponsors include the DynCorp International, Raytheon Company, Global Strategies Group, General Electric, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of Transportation, OPIC, African Business and New African magazines, AllAfrica Global Media, Africa Investor and Times Publications.
The private sector invested over $4.5 billion in infrastructure in Africa in 2005, according to the most recent annual report of the Infrastructure Consortium on Africa. Almost 75% was invested in mobile telephony, but some countries also received investments from independent power producers (IPPs), and from concessionaires taking over the management of rails, ports, and power distribution.
CCA, established in 1993, is a nonpartisan 501 (c) (3) membership organization of nearly 200 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. Visit CCA's website at www.africacncl.org for up-to-date information on the organization and upcoming events.
