U.S. Congressional Delegation Begins Four Nation Africa Trade Mission

Posted by Staff Writer on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 4:06pm.

Congressman Bobby Rush (D-IL) who we interviewed recently, will lead a congressional delegation to Africa on a four-nation tour aimed at increasing trade, commerce and investment in Africa and strengthening U.S.- Africa business relationships with American exporters and minority- and women-owned enterprises.

Rush, chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection on Energy and Commerce and co-chairman of the Africa Partnership for Economic Progress Caucus, will begin his trip on Aug. 15 in Liberia. The seven-member congressional delegation includes U.S. Representatives G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Steve Cohen (D-TN), William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), and Emmanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO). The group will depart from Washington, D.C., and will return to the United States on August 24. In addition to Liberia, they will visit Ghana, Angola and South Africa.

The Illinois congressman plans to meet with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Ghana President John Evans Atta Mills, Angola President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and South African President Jacob Zuma, in addition to ministers and dignitaries in areas of economics, trade, telecommunications, foreign policy, education, arts and culture.

“The world is interconnected and all of our people are suffering from the global financial meltdown,” Rush said. “With Africa in mind, solutions to these problems are not limited to foreign assistance and economic bail outs. While those concepts are effective in the short-term, they do nothing for the long haul. I firmly believe Africa holds the key to its own development. As Africa is calling for more trade and investment, we are going there to identify opportunities to encourage trade between our regions.”

He said his mission is to create a platform for U.S. businesses, especially for small size, women- and minority-owned enterprises in an effort to find creative solutions to the U.S. employment crisis. Only one percent (239,000) of all small and medium sized enterprises (SME) are exporters, although they represent 97 percent of U.S. export companies. However, these SMEs account for less than one-third of U.S. exports by value. “SME trade with Africa is almost non-existent,” Rush said. “On both sides of the Atlantic, companies are not aware of the business opportunities available to them. Business expansion leads to increased earning power and job creation.”

Rush added, “Africa plays a significant role in meeting the world’s energy needs, supplying new technologies and providing vital mineral resources. For example, oil and gas from the Gulf of Guinea region in West Africa accounts for over 19.5 percent of U.S. oil imports in 2008, a greater share than oil from Persian Gulf countries. The proportion of U.S. oil imports from Africa is expected to grow to 25 percent over the next decade. Africa’s natural resources, if carefully managed, will contribute to global prosperity and expand economic growth.

Coming after President Barack Obama’s visit to Ghana in early July and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s seven-nation tour this month, Rush’s delegation represents various influential committees including Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Financial Services, Foreign Affairs, Science and Technology, Ways and Means, Homeland Security, Independence and Global Warming and Oversight and Government Reform. The trip will be monitored by the U.S. State Department.

“Africa’s growing importance is reflected in the intensifying efforts of China, Russia, India, Iran and other countries to gain access to African resources and advance their ties to the region. For these and many other reasons, I will use my subcommittee jurisdiction to improve U.S. business competitiveness in this untapped, important market. Having a more ambitious trade policy toward Africa will be mutually beneficial to both continents. Africa and its Diaspora is an asset in this global economy. It is time to have a more comprehensive, multi-faceted regional policy toward the African continent.”

This is the 3rd trip in less than 2 months by Senior and Influential U.S. Officials and Legislators.  Certainly, an indication that the U.S. view on Africa is transitioning to one of  the continent being a viable trading and  a strategic national security partner.  Certainly important enough to consider the massive amounts of Chinese and Middle Eastern investment that is pouring onto the continent.  It’ll be important, particularly for small business owners and exporters to engage these U.S. Members of Congress and to monitor the progress made during this trade mission as they begin to set an agenda for the new ‘Africa Partnership for Economic Progress caucus.  This Caucus could become a catalyst for increased trade between export ready U.S. Businesses and African businesses seeking out new markets and partnerships.