AGOA AGENDA

2005 U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa
Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum
“AGOA Ministerial Forum”
Dakar, Senegal

Overview:
Theme:  “Expanding and Diversifying Trade to Promote Growth and Competitiveness” The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a key pillar of President Bush's policy to spur economic development, alleviate poverty, and encourage trade in sub-Saharan Africa.  The AGOA Forum is an annual meeting to discuss expanding trade and investment relations between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa.   The Forum consists of parallel meetings:  a ministerial between the United States and the governments of the 37 AGOA-eligible countries, a meeting of the U.S. and African private sector and a meeting of civil society organizations from the U.S. and Africa. 
Senegal is the host of the 2005 AGOA Forum, which will take place in Dakar on July 18-20, 2005.
The 2005 AGOA Ministerial will focus on how beneficiary countries can diversify their exports by taking advantage of the broad range of products eligible for preferential treatment under AGOA. The workshops and plenary sessions aim to: foster greater interest and investment in a broad range of industrial sectors in AGOA countries, provide practical information about how to meet U.S. import requirements and sell successfully into U.S. markets; and encourage those countries that have yet to take advantage of the Act’s benefits to do so.     

AGOA Forum Attendees:
The AGOA Ministerial is attended by representatives of the U.S. government, the governments of AGOA eligible-countries, African regional economic communities and select international organizations.

Governments attending the AGOA Ministerial should indicate their delegations to the Embassies of the United States and Senegal.

Registration information: 
To register for the Ministerial Forum and to reserve hotel rooms, delegates should contact Cabine Du Ministre D’Etat, Ministere des Affairs etrangeres, Place de L’Independence, Dakar, Senegal.  

AGOA FORUM 2005
Ministerial Discussion Topics

There will be plenary and workshop discussions on the following topics.

Trade
· AGOA:  Reinforcing Trade and Economic Cooperation Between the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa
· Doha Development Agenda Negotiations
· Trade Promotion:  Making the Case for a Strategic Approach
· Expanding African Trade:  Opportunities, Challenges, and Barriers
· Facilitating Trade Through Improving Transportation
· Women Entrepreneurs – Taking Advantage of AGOA

Investment and Finance
· Attracting New Investment
· Solutions to Infrastructure Finance
· Enhancing Private Sector (especially Square Meter Equivalents’ (SME) access to Financial Services
· Millennium Challenge Account
 
Industry sectors
· Agriculture: Forging New Links in Public-Private Sector Cooperation
· Agriculture: High-value Specialty Products
· Energy: Energy Development and the Search for Oil in Sub-Saharan Africa
· AGOA Apparel Trade in a Post-Multi-Fiber Arrangement (MFA) Environment

Health
· Health, in Particular HIV/AIDS, Its impact on Economic Growth and the Role of the Private Sector

2005 U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa
Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum
“AGOA Private Sector Forum”
Dakar, Senegal

Overview:

The 2005 AGOA Forum is an unparalleled occasion for private sector and government representatives from the U.S. to engage with their African counterparts in the pursuit of new trade and investment opportunities.   The AGOA 3 Action Committee is honored to coordinate the 4th Annual Private Sector AGOA Forum.  The Corporate Council on Africa, the Africa Business Roundtable, and the National Agency for the Promotion of Investment and Major Projects in Senegal are also Forum co-chairs.

AGOA is more than simply a market access initiative – it has emerged as a vital pathway for Africa’s economic development on the basis of private sector-led growth, the strategy now embraced by most of Africa’s leaders.  And it is creating extraordinary opportunities for U.S. and African firms.  Expanded and extended unanimously in 2004 in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, AGOA enjoys whole-hearted support on both sides of the Atlantic as it generates mutually beneficial opportunities for trade and investment.

The Private Sector Forum will have a special focus on partnerships, on building African capacity in agriculture, energy, apparel/textiles, and information technology – and on adding to the bottom line.  Market barriers to trade expansion will be addressed, as well as the next big investment opportunities in infrastructure development.   There will also be targeted sessions to enhance U.S.-Africa cooperation around key trade issues, such as intellectual property protection, sustainable agricultural development, and new resources and incentives for financing expanded trade and investment in the region. 

The AGOA Private Sector Forum will be held in Dakar, Senegal, July 18th and 19th. 
AGOA Private Sector Forum Attendees:
U.S. and African business leaders will attend.

Registration information:  
For more information, please visit our Web site, www.agoa3.org, contact us by phone
 (+1 202.349.3782) or send us an e-mail (info@agoa3.org). 

 

AGOA PRIVATE SECTOR FORUM 2005
Private Sector Discussion Topics

There will be plenary and workshop discussions on the following topics.

· The Future of African Agriculture: Value Added Investments and Exports
· Building 21st Century African Entrepreneurs: Global Initiatives and Best Practices
· Improving Public Health:  Access to Drugs & Mechanisms to Combat Counterfeiting
· Attracting New Investment
· Facilitating Trade Through Improving Transportation Corridors
· Financing Trade, Transactions, and Exports
· Africa’s Energy Needs:  U.S. - Africa Energy Partnerships  Combating the Global Energy Crisis
· Cocoa Sustainability:  Growth and Partnerships
· African Agricultural Exports:  The Things You Need to Know to Succeed in the U.S. Market
· Developing a Business Plan for Square Meter Equivalents (SME’s)
· Developing and Financing Small- and Medium-sized Agricultural Projects:  Successful Projects and Partnerships
· Eco-Tourism the New Frontier: Build the Economy, Create Jobs, and Protect the Environment
· Private Sector/NGO Host Regional Integration and Private Sector Development:  The Nacala Corridor

2005 U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa
Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum
“AGOA Civil Society Forum”
Dakar, Senegal

Overview:
Theme:  “AGOA: Empowering Civil Society Organizations (CSO) to Build Economic Prosperity”
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) continues to foster the strengthening of the U.S. trade and economic relationship with the countries of sub-Saharan Africa and remains the cornerstone of the Bush Administration’s trade and investment policy toward sub-Saharan Africa.
Senegal is the host of the 2005 AGOA Civil Society Forum, which will take place in Dakar on July 18-20, 2005.
The Third AGOA Civil Society Network Session of the Fourth US-sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Forum will examine the impact and challenges faced by AGOA, in light of the above and discuss the important contributions that Civil Society Organizations continue to make in the success of AGOA, and how CSO can better facilitate the effectiveness of AGOA.
The objectives of the CSO Forum are to:
· Provide civil society organizations with the know-how to build the capacity of their countries to successfully export goods to the U.S. under AGOA
· Design Standardized Tool Kits to Measure Compliance With AGOA Eligibility
· Discuss the importance of education and the role of the youth in ensuring sustained economic development
· Highlight and learn from AGOA success stories
· Learn more about the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), a new U.S. presidential initiative
· Discuss the impact of the WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing on the level of trade between AGOA-eligible countries and the U.S.
AGOA Civil Society Forum Attendees:

The AGOA Civil Society Forum will bring together Africans and Americans through their non-governmental organizations (e.g. nonprofit organizations, chambers of commerce, and other groups) to take maximum advantage of AGOA benefits.

Registration information:  
To register for the Civil Society Forum and to inquire about reserving hotel rooms, please contact the AGOA Civil Society Network Secretariat via E-Mail at agoacsonet@democracy-africa.org or telephone (+1 202.331.1333). Further registration information can also be found at http://www.democracy-africa.org/agoacsonet.html or contact CONGAD in Senegal via E-Mail at congad@sentoo.sn or telephone (+221.824 4113).

 

AGOA CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM 2005
Civil Society Discussion Topics

There will be plenary and workshop discussions, as well as two digital videoconferences, on the following topics.

TRADE IMPROVEMENT
· Role of Civil Society in Monitoring Compliance with AGOA Eligibility Criteria
· Designing Standardized Tool Kits to Measure Compliance With AGOA Eligibility
· Agreement on Textile and Clothing

INVESTMENT & FINANCE
· Millennium Challenge Corporation: Presentation

EDUCATION
· Importance of Education and the Contribution of the Youth to the Success of AGOA

INDUSTRIES
· Value Added Agriculture Through Capacity Building