WASHINGTON, D.C. — Between June 12-16, 2022, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S. Africa Business Center (USAfBC) will lead the U.S. Chamber’s first in-person business mission to Africa since the onset of the global pandemic.
This year’s delegation commences with a three-day business mission to Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana (June 12-15). The business mission to Côte d’Ivoire builds on the success of the U.S. Chamber’s U.S.-Côte d’Ivoire Executive Business Roundtable, held in March at the Chamber headquarters and that featured Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire Patrick Achi and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves. The business mission to Côte d’Ivoire features high-level meetings between the U.S. and Ivoirian public and private sectors, convening U.S. commercial diplomats, trade experts, business leaders, and a U.S. government delegation led by Deputy Commerce Secretary Graves, along with representatives from U.S. government agencies including the Department of State, Prosper Africa, Millennium Challenge Corporation, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, and U.S. Africa Development Foundation. Notably, a new Memorandum of Understanding will also be signed between the U.S. Chamber and the Côte d’Ivoire Chamber of Commerce and Industry to deepen commercial ties between the countries.
Events in Abidjan will be followed by the 2022 U.S.-Ghana Business Forum (June 15-17), organized by the U.S. Chamber and AmCham Ghana, around the theme “Leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement to Promote U.S-Africa Commercial Partnerships.” The U.S.-Ghana Business Forum marks the third high-level meeting between the U.S. and Ghanaian governments and business leaders to leverage diplomatic and commercial partnerships between the countries toward the successful implementation of the AfCFTA. The U.S.-Ghana Business Forum also features Deputy Secretary Graves and other key U.S and Ghanaian government officials and business leaders sharing expertise and insights on trade and investment opportunities across the continent.
“West Africa’s fast-growing economies hold tremendous potential for U.S. companies to increase investment and sell goods and services in countries like Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, which have energy and consumer needs. American businesses need to be at the forefront to deliver on these needs,” said Scott Eisner, President of the USAfBC. “Expanding trade and investment is a critical tool for economic growth and job creation in all our countries. Business missions are a tremendous vehicle to grow shared prosperity by identifying new partners and opportunities for U.S. and African companies.”
