An estimated 1500 delegates are gathered in Luanda for the 17 U.S.-Africa Business Summit organized by the Corporate Council on Africa and hosted this year by the Government of Angola. Expected participants include heads of state and government from Algeria, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Madagascar, Mauritania, Namibia, and Sao Tome and Principe, along with President Joao Lourenco from the Summit host.
Others taking part include business leaders from Africa and the United States, senior government officials and policy experts for a program focused on building stronger economic ties between Africa and the United States.
The announced list for the official U.S. delegation includes Ambassador Troy Fitrell, who heads Bureau of African Affairs at the State Department; Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor for Africa; Conor Coleman from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC); James Burrows, from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM Bank); Constance Hamilton, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa; and Thomas R. Hardy, acting director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).
In April, Fitrell unveiled the Trump administration’s new commercial diplomacy strategy for sub-Saharan Africa “based on what we’ve seen that actually works.” The strategy makes commercial diplomacy the “core focus of U.S.-Africa engagement, with U.S. Ambassadors “now being evaluated on how effectively they advocate for U.S. business and the number of deals they facilitate,” he said in a speech in Abidjan.
Sessions at the Summit in Luanda will focus on a range of opportunities for expanding U.S.-Africa trade, investment and business relations built around the theme “Pathways to Prosperity: A Shared Vision for U.S. – Africa Partnership”.
Source: Allafrica