For Immediate Release: November 23, 2012
Contact: Mary Trupo (202) 482-3809
Obama Official to Lead Historic Trade Mission to Zambia and South Africa
WASHINGTON – Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez today announced he will lead a multi-sector trade mission to Zambia and South Africa, November 26-30. This will be the first-ever U.S. Department of Commerce led trade mission to Zambia. A delegation comprised of representatives from 14 U.S. firms will join Sánchez on stops in Lusaka, Zambia; and Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. At each stop, participating companies will meet with key government decision makers and prospective private sector partners.
“Expanding our trade and investment relationship with Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be a critical component of President Obama’s commercial diplomacy strategy,” Sánchez said. “Zambia and South Africa both offer extraordinary opportunities to U.S. companies seeking to introduce their quality products and services to important emerging markets.”
In the first half of 2012, U.S. goods exports to Sub-Saharan Africa increased by 4.6 percent from the same period in 2011. South Africa is the largest U.S. export market in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2011, total U.S.-South Africa trade was $16.7 billion, up from $13.9 billion in 2010.
U.S. exports to Zambia have increased more than 27 percent to nearly $111 million thus far in 2012 when compared to the same period last year. U.S.-Zambia total bilateral trade more than doubled in 2011.
The following companies were selected for participation in the trade mission:
- AAR Corporation – Wood Dale, Ill.
- Case New Holland – Chicago, Ill.
- Dow Chemical – Midland, Mich.
- Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. – LaGrange, Ill.
- General Electric Company – Fairfield, Conn.
- Greeley and Hansen LLC – Chicago, Ill.
- Hybas International LLC – Houston, Texas
- Kanawha Scales and Systems, Inc. – Poca, W.Va.
- Mabey, Inc. – Elkridge, Md.
- Symbion Power LLC – Washington, D.C.
- Synergics Energy Services – Annapolis, Md.
- Trimble Navigation Ltd. – Sunnyvale, Calif.
- Water Services, Inc. – Provo, Utah
- Zanbato – Mountain View, Calif.
This trade mission advances President Obama’s National Export Initiative (NEI), which aims to double U.S. exports by the end of 2014, supporting economic and job growth, as well as President Obama’s U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa, which elevates U.S. efforts to spur economic growth, trade, and investment in sub-Saharan Africa. For additional information, please visit http://www.export.gov/trademissions.
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