Africa

USTR's Office of African Affairs develops and coordinates U.S. trade and investment policy for the 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. It leads the negotiation and implementation of U.S. trade agreements and initiatives that further the Administration's economic and development policies in the region.

The Africa Office seeks to open sub-Saharan African markets to U.S. goods, services, and investment, while at the same time helping African countries to use trade to advance their economic development. It oversees implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade preference program and works closely with other U.S. agencies, such as USAID, to help eligible African countries make the most of AGOA's trade benefits.

The Africa Office leads U.S. Government interagency engagement with sub-Saharan African partners on trade and investment issues, including under our eleven trade and investment framework agreements (TIFAs) with sub-Saharan African countries and regional economic organizations. The United States also has a Trade, Investment, and Development Cooperative Agreement with the five countries of the Southern African Customs Union and bilateral investment treaties with six sub-Saharan African partners.

The Africa Office maintains an ongoing dialogue with sub-Saharan African countries on issues related to the WTO Doha negotiations. It also works closely with other Africa trade policy stakeholders, including Members of Congress (testimony on U.S.-Africa Relations), the African and American private sectors, and civil society in the United States and sub-Saharan Africa.