The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC or Commission) has launched an investigation to explore the competitive factors affecting industries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that have experienced significant increases or decreases in exports in recent years.

The investigation, Sub-Saharan Africa: Factors Affecting Trade Patterns of Selected Industries, was requested by the U.S. Trade Representative. The investigation will yield three annual reports that will provide brief overviews of the trends in SSA exports in the agricultural, mining and manufacturing, and services sectors.

Each report will also provide profiles of SSA industries within those sectors that produce certain products that have shown significant export shifts in recent years. Each industry profile will include an analysis of the leading SSA exporters, their key markets, the leading competitors, and the factors that have contributed to recent increases or decreases in the exports of these industries.

As requested, the ITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, will deliver the first annual report to the USTR by April 3, 2007. Subsequent reports will be delivered 12 and 24 months after delivery of the first report.

The first annual report will cover industries that produce cut flowers; cocoa butter and paste; nuts, including coconuts, Brazil nuts, and cashews; prepared or preserved fish; acyclic alcohol; unwrought aluminum; textiles and apparel; petroleum gasses, including natural gas; flat-rolled steel; wood veneer sheets; financial services; and tourism.

The ITC will hold a public hearing in connection with the first annual report on December 6, 2006. Requests to appear at the hearing should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m. on November 13, 2006, with the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. For further information, call 202-205-2000.

The ITC also welcomes written submission for the record. Written submissions (one original and 14 copies) should be addressed to the Secretary of the Commission at the above address and should be submitted at the earliest practical date, but no later than 5:15 p.m. on December 15, 2006. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be available for public inspection.

Further information on the scope of the investigation and appropriate submissions is available in the ITC's notice of investigation, dated August 23, 2006, which can be obtained from the ITC Internet site (www.usitc.gov) or by contacting the Office of the Secretary at the above address or at 202-205-2000.

ITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representatives, the Senate Committee on Finance, or the House Committee on Ways and Means. The resulting reports convey the Commissions' objective findings and independent analyses on the subject investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the ITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigations reports are subsequently released to the public, unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.