April 13, 2007
News Release 07-040
Inv. No. 332-477
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819

Growing demand and increased prices were prominent factors affecting the growth of exports in 12 selected industries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in recent years, reports the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC or Commission) in its report Sub-Saharan Africa: Factors Affecting Trade Patterns of Selected Industries.

Government policies related to investment, infrastructure, trade agreements, and regional integration were significant factors in the growth of some African exports because they enhanced the ability of SSA exporters to take advantage of the more favorable market conditions, according to the report.

The ITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, completed the report for the U.S. Trade Representative. It is the first of 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 producing 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 market and policy factors that have contributed to recent increases or decreases in the exports of these industries.

The first report covers industries that produce cut flowers; cocoa butter and paste; nuts (primarily cashews); prepared or preserved fish; acyclic alcohol; unwrought aluminum; textiles and apparel; petroleum gas (primarily liquified natural gas); flat-rolled steel; wood veneer sheets; financial services; and tourism. Highlights of the report follow:

• The total value of merchandise exports from sub-Saharan Africa grew by about 19 percent annually from 2001 through 2005, exceeding the 14 percent annual growth in global exports over the same period. Much of the growth in SSA exports was driven by increased export values for energy-related products (35 percent annual growth) and minerals and metals (17 percent annual growth). The value of agricultural exports grew by about 5 percent annually. Services exports increased by 68 percent, from $14.9 billion in 2001 to $25 billion in 2004.
• Although export volumes increased in many of the selected industries, much of the increased export value was linked to increased prices. For certain products such as prepared and preserved fish, wood veneer, and flat-rolled steel, increased prices accounted for most of the growth in export value. For acyclic alcohols, liquified natural gas, unwrought aluminum, cashews, and cocoa butter and paste, export volumes increased significantly as well.
• Increased investment in new and expanded production capacity had a significant effect on export growth in acyclic alcohols, liquified natural gas, unwrought aluminum, cut flower industries, cocoa butter and paste, and flat-rolled steel. Although investment was often made in response to increased demand and prices, government policies, such as the formation of export processing zones, also contributed to a positive environment for new investment.
• Expansion and improvement of infrastructure supported increased exports of unwrought aluminum, cut flowers, and tourism. Improved airport shipping facilities contributed to improved cut flower quality and exports. Airport expansion allowed airlines to increase the number of direct flights, thereby contributing to increased tourist arrivals. Expansion and rehabilitation of port facilities contributed to unwrought aluminum exports.
• Tariff preferences and regional integration contributed to SSA's apparel exports. The third- country fabric provision of the African Growth and Opportunity Act was a factor in increased apparel exports to the United States. Membership in the Southern African Customs Union facilitated the ability of Botswana, Swaziland, and Lesotho to increase apparel exports.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Factors Affecting Trade Patterns of Selected Industries (Investigation No. 332-477, USITC Publication 3914, March 2007) will be available on the ITC's Internet site at http://hotdocs.usitc.gov/docs/pubs/332/pub3914.pdf. A CD-ROM of the report may be requested by calling 202-205-2000 or by writing the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may also be faxed to 202-205-2104.

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 Representative, the Senate Committee on Finance, or the House Committee on Ways and Means. The resulting reports convey the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects 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 investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.