U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesperson
Media Note
September 25, 2019
Today, Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan hosted African foreign ministers and senior officials from Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa, together with senior executives from several U.S. corporations and business councils, for a discussion on U.S.-Africa trade and investment.
The Roundtable, hosted on the margins of the 74th UN General Assembly in New York, was attended by senior U.S. government representatives Deputy Secretary of Commerce Karen Dunn Kelley, USAID Administrator Mark Green, EXIM President and Chairman Kimberly Reed, OPIC Acting President and CEO David Bohigian, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach, and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy.
Participants exchanged reciprocal views on investment opportunities in the energy, transportation, banking, information technology, and infrastructure sectors. Deputy Secretary Sullivan highlighted the ways in which the U.S. government is delivering on the Administration’s Africa strategy and is working to build stronger U.S.-Africa commercial ties. He noted the Prosper Africa initiative that brings together the full range of U.S. government resources to advance two-way trade and investment. U.S. officials also previewed the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, slated to launch later this year to expand U.S. direct investment in Africa.
The Deputy Secretary affirmed the United States’ commitment to our African partners and thanked all participants for a productive discussion.
