Foreign
By Kennedy Nnamani
AKUNNA Cook, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, has assured that the Biden-Harris administration has made trade and investment with Africa a huge priority. This, she made known in South Africa, in a digital press briefing on U.S commitment to economic growth in Africa during her tour across the African continent to promote U.S.-Africa trade and investment relationship.
According to her, the U.S. is focusing on the creative industries, digital technologies, climate and health in Nigeria and South Africa. She noted that in Kenya, the American government is particularly focused on digital technologies and talking to startup founders, investors, to understand how the government can better support those efforts. Then in Namibia, the deputy Assistant Secretary assured that the U.S. will be focused on climate technologies given the potential of Namibia to really drive into the future on that front.
Cook also maintained that through Prosper Africa, a U.S. initiative to improve the economic environment on the continent, African entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers will be connected to examine how the U.S. Government can improve its commercial and economic diplomacy initiatives.
“Prosper Africa really is a whole-of-government effort focused on coordinating the 70 tools across 17 U.S. Government agencies that really have a stake in promoting U.S.-Africa trade and investment relationships.
“So we’re thrilled to be here, thrilled to be promoting the President’s Build Back Better World initiative, which was announced back at the G7, also focused on digital, gender, health, and climate, focusing also, of course, on Prosper Africa, and happy to talk a bit about where things are with the evolving U.S.-Africa strategy, which will be announced later this year,” she said.
In the same vein, Leslie Marbury, Prosper Africa acting chief operating officer, noted that the initiative is focused on four major roles to promote investment in Africa.
“We are doing four things with Prosper Africa. We’re advancing deals, we’re promoting opportunities, we’re reducing barriers to trade and investment and we’re deepening financial and capital markets,” she said.
KN
Tags: Akunna Cook Joe Biden Kamala Harris Kennedy Nnamani Leslie Marbury Prosper Africa
