Good morning, and on behalf of Secretary Rice and the Bureau of African Affairs, I would like to thank you for joining us today. It gives me great pleasure to launch the sixth annual U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum. This year's AGOA Forum will take place in Accra, Ghana, July 18-19.
It is hard to believe that the original legislation that created the trade framework of AGOA was only passed by our Congress in 2000. That legislation mandated an annual high-level event at which economic leaders representing both the United States and the countries of Africa could discuss expanding trade and investment relations between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa.
Traditionally, this Forum alternates between the U.S. and an African country. Last year, as you know, we hosted the Forum at the State Department here in Washington. This year, the Government of Ghana has graciously agreed to host the Forum in their capital, Accra.
The theme of the 2007 Forum is "As Trade Grows, Africa Prospers: Optimizing Benefits under AGOA." We believe this title encapsulates all the hope and promise inherent in the relationship codified by the AGOA legislation.
As Secretary Rice said earlier this month, free trade is "an integral part of our worldwide effort to support freedom and democracy, human rights, and the rule of law." AGOA is a symbol of the partnership between the United States and Africa, as Africa continues on its path to prosperity. It demonstrates the commitment of the Bush Administration and Congress to the countries and the people of Africa.
AGOA is purposely designed to benefit responsive and responsible partners in Africa. This is why eligibility for participation in AGOA requires a commitment to: economic openness, transparent and democratic government, human rights, and poverty reduction. Every year the President reviews AGOA beneficiaries with these criteria in mind. We are pleased that in 2007, Liberia joined the 37 other AGOA-eligible countries and will be joining the Forum as an official participant for the very first time.
AGOA has brought increased trade flows and new industry to Africa. Thanks in part to AGOA, two-way trade between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa has risen substantially, rising to a new high of over $71 billion in 2006.
U.S. imports of AGOA products -- including imports under our GSP program -- totaled $44.2 billion in 2006, up 16% from 2005. While a lot of this growth is due to petroleum imports, non-oil AGOA imports also increased by 7% to $3.2 billion in 2006.
After six years, it is worth taking stock of progress we have made, reviewing country strategies to make the best use of what AGOA offers, and discussing the constraints that stand in the way of maximizing exports.
For this reason, the first session of the Forum will discuss "Progress on AGOA implementation," with reports from four representative African countries. In his luncheon address on Day One, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns will speak about "Facilitating Agricultural Trade and Development under AGOA." In the afternoon, there will be four concurrent sessions exploring options for "Broadening Opportunities under AGOA" in key sectors.
On the second day, Forum participants will explore every aspect of "Enhancing the Supply Capacity of Small and Medium Enterprises Under AGOA." They will take a broad look at the issues in "Access to Finance," "Market Development," "Production," "Infrastructure," and "Quality Standards." Subsequently, there will be separate concurrent sessions devoted to each of these topics.
After the session on enhancing supply capacity, there will be a roundtable dialogue on "U.S. and African government Technical Assistance Programs," which my colleague Walter North can explain in more detail.
At the initiative of the Government of Ghana, for the first time ever, the Forum will integrate the government, private sector, and civil society participants, with the vast majority of the sessions open to all delegates. We expect that this cross-pollination will encourage a fruitful exchange of experiences, and that participants will benefit from being exposed to different perspectives. Thank you, and I look forward to answering your questions.
