|
|
AGOA Forum 2007: Outcomes of the African Ministerial Consultative Group
A meeting of the African Ministerial Consultative Group on AGOA took place on the sidelines of the AGOA Forum in Accra, and was the second such meeting to be held. In attendance were 34 of a possible 38 AGOA beneficiary countries, as well as various regional institutions such as COMESA, SADC, SACU, ECOWAS, NEPAD and the Africa Development Bank.
The meeting was chaired by Hon. Alan Kyerematen, Ghana’s Minister of Trade and Industries. In his opening remarks, he emphasised the need for the Forum to focus on the practical implementation of AGOA-related activities. There was a need for policies and programmes that enhance the capacity of beneficiary countries to be able to supply the US market and compete more effectively.
The specific challenges faced by African countries are mostly of a technical and supply-side nature. Technical issues include the stringent non-tariff measures, including technical standards and SPS requirements, which need to be complied with for entry into the US market. This is of particular relevance for agricultural and agro-processed products, where African countries have a comparative advantage. Another issue that was raised was the difficulty associated with obtaining a business visa for the USA.
Supply-side challenges facing AGOA beneficiaries are manifold. The Consultative Group found that these include the inability of most African producers to meet large US orders, inadequate managerial know-how, high transportation costs (both in terms of logistics and cross-border issues), and the general state of infrastructure in many African countries. Improved infrastructure has been identified by many stakeholders as one of the key drivers of manufacturer competitiveness.
Other issues that were identified by participants include the stiff competition in the US market for Africa’s cotton exports brought about by US subsidies, which have the effect of lowering the price of cotton. Also, the issue of duty-free quota-free market access was raised, with the meeting finding that since this would also benefit countries outside of Africa (notably Cambodia and Bangladesh), the effect would be to reduce Africa’s margin of preference for US exports and thus will have negative consequences on AGOA beneficiaries. Presumably the greatest competition will be in the garment industry, which is a key sector with respect to manufactured exports to the US.
With respect to the garment industry, the group found that South Africa and Mauritius’ differentiated treatment under AGOA’s wearing apparel provisions, which prohibits the use of non-originating (third country) fabrics, should be amended and brought in line with the rules faced by LDCs. At present, South Africa and Mauritius are de facto subject to a triple stage transformation requirement: spinning of yarn, weaving of fabric and making up of the finished garment. This is an issue that has been controversial from the outset, even among the various stakeholders within South Africa.
The meeting concluded with a list of action items to be further investigated and / or undertaken by African governments and the United States.
Issues to be addressed by Africa:
 Enhancing capacity building in meeting sector-specific standards
Attracting new FDI by promoting joint ventures and intra-regional trade
Development of trade policies with implementation programmes
Increase access to finance
Improvement in quality standards
Increase mobility and availability of skilled labour
Introduce trading houses to increase visibility of Africa’s exports in the US
Strengthen regional markets to increase regional competitiveness
Organise small rural enterprises into co-operatives that are able to cater for larger orders from the US
Support product diversification and beneficiation activities
Washington-based Ambassadors of African countries to take a lead role in preparing for AGOA Experts meetings
Issues to be addressed by the United States:
Aid for trade (A4T) should focus on financing infrastructure to help address supply side constraints
US to provide technical assistance to Africa eg. concerning fumigation
US called upon to facilitate establishment of petro-chemical industries in Africa for greater beneficiation there, with refineries in at least three African regions (South, East and West Africa)
Reduce red tape and streamline process involved in obtaining US business visas for the African private sector
Review AGOA rules of origin (ongoing)
US to focus on a more diverse investment portfolio outside the oil extraction industries
US to push for an extension of AGOA legislation
Joint priorities:
Strengthening of production and marketing caoacities including market research and private sector activities in collaboration with the USAID Trade Hubs
Improved technical and financial assistance mechanisms for the private sector stakeholders
| |
|
Latest Updates
21 AGOA FORUM 2013: Ethiopia will host the 2013 US-Africa AGOA Forum. AGOA.info has been informed that the Forum will not take place as envisaged on 28 June - 1 July, but at a later date yet to be determined. The theme for this year’s Forum is “Trade and Technology for sustained change”“
21 December 2012: Guinea-Bissau and Mali lose AGOA eligibility
APRIL 2013: Monthly data has been updated to include February 2013 data, quarterly includes full year 2012 data.
New US strategy towards Africa: White House Factsheet on new strategy towards Africa, plus overview of past US engagement with Africa. Click here for the file and this link for a summary article.
02 August 2012: Bill to extend third country fabric provision passes Congress Download the House of Reps. Bill at this link
South Sudan declared AGOA-eligible on 26 March 2012. Earlier, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger and Gambia declared AGOA eligible on 25 October 2011. See news item, presidential declaration and trade overview at this link (S Sudan) and here (others).
US GSP extended and GSP benefits to be applied retrospectively for the year 2011 since expiry of previous GSP. See AGOA.info legal documents section at the following link.
AGOA at 10: Reflections on US-Africa trade with a focus on SACU: Tralac Working Paper that can be downloaded at this
link.
December 2010: The Democratic Republic of Congo loses its AGOA eligibility status. See proclamation here (pdf download available at this link
ITC investigation of textiles and apparel: Further details at this link
AGOA IV – Changes to AGOA explained
For disaggregated trade data covering each AGOA country, follow the relevant link in the Country Sections (left column) or click here.
 For detailed AGOA maps click here
|
Sitemap 
