Africa-Press – Angola. The commercial partnership between the United States of America and the African continent will once again be under analysis, starting this Monday (6 May), in the city of Dallas, Texas, during the 16th Business Summit USA-Africa.
Organized by the Business Council for Africa (CCA), the event will run until May 9, with the participation of more than 1,500 executives from the public and private sectors of the USA and Africa, as well as dozens of Heads of State and Government.
Among the entities confirmed by the organization are the President of Angola, João Lourenço, and his counterparts from Cape Verde, José Maria Neves; from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Felix Tshisekedi; from Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema; and from Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Hundreds of international investors, employees of the US Government and interested multilateral entities are also mobilized for this summit, with emphasis on the US representative at the UN, Thomas-Greenfield.
This is an initiative that aims to discuss effective solutions to boost sustainable commercial partnerships between the USA and the African continent, which is increasingly strategic and a priority in the foreign policy of the North American Administration.
This summit takes place at a time when the American Government seeks to consolidate its investments in the “cradle continent”, to face the growing influence of China, Russia and Turkey, which are increasing their commercial partnerships with Africans.
The main objective of the event is to enable African leaders to directly contact government and private sector decision-makers in order to promote sustainable business partnerships between the United States and Africans.
I invest in the agribusiness sector
Due to its size and strategic relevance, the summit’s organization plans to bring to the table topics of capital importance for strengthening mutually advantageous business partnerships, with particular emphasis on the agribusiness sector.
It is therefore expected that African countries will establish bridges and partnerships to give greater consistency to their development projects, attracting US investors to agricultural fields, one of the main drivers of growth in African economies.
Studies indicate that African countries spend, on average, around US$45 billion annually on agricultural imports, despite having 60% of arable land to produce food for local populations and the rest of the world.
According to several experts, investment in the agricultural sector in Africa plays a decisive role in the success of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063, as the continent’s economic base is supported by agriculture and extractive industries.
In Africa, according to available studies, subsistence agriculture is carried out by 70% of the population and women represent 60% of the workforce.
Investments and infrastructure
Meanwhile, the 16th US-Africa Business Summit will also serve to delve deeper into the issue of available financing options, through the US Government and institutional investors, as well as North American and African banks.
Likewise, the topic of energy infrastructure and transition to more sustainable sources, the situation and opportunities in the public health sector will be discussed, in addition to exploring investment opportunities in infrastructure.
In the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), discussions will be held on innovations and opportunities in the sector, while in the area of creative industries an approach is expected to explore partnerships to strengthen the creative industry.
During the four days of work, specific forums are also planned for each of the countries, which will facilitate interaction with senior government officials and business leaders from countries with promising markets for investment.
The event will also offer networking opportunities, private meetings with key decision-makers and high-level dialogues with African government delegations and business executives.
The plenary sessions and thematic panels will involve more than 100 government and business leaders, who will discuss solutions to today’s business challenges, in the agribusiness, finance, energy, health, infrastructure, ICT and industry sectors.
The work program foresees six thematic panels, which will feature the participation of Heads of State and Government from Africa and senior North American political entities, with emphasis on the High-Level Dialogue on Strengthening Health Systems in Africa.
This panel appears to discuss the opportunities and challenges linked to inadequate and underdeveloped infrastructure, which include the lack of hospitals, clinics and basic medical facilities in rural and urban areas, in addition to the shortage of human resources in African countries.
In the case of Angola, this panel could be an opportunity to share experiences and best health practices with other African countries and the USA, while also opening doors for State and private sector entities to establish partnerships with international organizations, governments and institutions of health.
Another High Level Dialogue is on the theme of Unlocking Africa’s Digital Potential – Addressing Challenges and Expanding Opportunities, the purpose of which is to present opportunities to accelerate digitalization in Africa, strengthen partnerships to resolve critical bottlenecks, including infrastructure.
Within the scope of this theme, factors such as the expansion of telecommunications infrastructure, internet access, encouraging digital entrepreneurship, education and training in technology, development of innovation ecosystems, digital inclusion, development of local applications, among others, will be discussed.
In turn, the Panel on Food Insecurity of Agricultural Business Ownership and the Case for a Strategic Partnership in Agribusiness between the United States and Africa will have as its main focus discussing a strategic partnership in agribusiness with the USA, through bilateral negotiations between the governments of the countries involved.
The theme will explore topics such as the challenges of food insecurity in Africa, opportunities for agricultural development in Africa, the importance of the US-Africa partnership in agribusiness, agricultural investment and financing, capacity development and knowledge transfer, in addition to studying successful cases in this segment.
One of the most relevant panels for Angola will be the High-Level Dialogue on Investment in Strategic Infrastructures and Sustainable Growth, which is expected to feature the participation of the Angolan President, João Lourenço.
This panel will provide a discussion on continued investment needs in transport, energy, communications and other essential infrastructure for the African continent to drive the region’s rapid growth.
In addition, the Angolan Head of State must participate in the High-Level Dialogue Navigating Africa’s Energy Future, a panel that aims to discuss specific challenges and opportunities related to the financing of oil and gas projects.
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