The 11th annual forum on the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which will focus on commercial and economic cooperation between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa, will be held from 14 to 15 June in Washington.
“This year, the AGOA forum, will mainly lay emphasis on the strengthening of the development of infrastructure in Africa, a critical element to release Africa’s economic potential, including the huge intellectual, technical and economic capital represented by the youth, women and entrepreneurs in Africa,” the Paris-based US regional press service said on Moday.
The meeting will bring together hundreds of participants, including senior African and US officials, and representatives of the private sector and civil society to discuss trade and investment opportunities.
AGOA is a framework to gain access to US credit and technical expertise, and establishes high-level dialogue on trade and investment in the form of a commercial and economic forum between the United States and sub-Sahran Africa.
AGOA, an essential component of overall US trade with sub-Saharan Africa, saw bilateral trade between the two parties reach 716.1 billion dollars since 2001, the statement said.
The AGOA forum will be preceded by a two-day programme on civil society on 12 and 13 June in Washington which will comprise a plenary session entitled “Integrating African women into the global economy”, with women entrepreneurs within the framework of the three-week long Women Entrepreneurship Programme running from 4 to 23 June.
The Council of Affairs on Africa will also hold its conference on infrastructure on 18-20 June in Washington and the US-Africa business conference (USABC) will take place in Cincinnati, Ohio, on 21 and 22 June.
