Africa-Press – Liberia. Brennan Shearer, Private Enterprise Officer of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has informed the Liberian private sector that his country does not believe in handouts to individuals or countries, instead endorsing a policy of reciprocal giving and receiving.
“The U.S. doesn’t give out anything for free,” he said. “This is a win-win opportunity for both countries.”
He made these remarks on Tuesday, July 18, at a one-day sensitization workshop for economic operators on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and Food Safety Act organized by ECOWAS in collaboration with USAID and the Liberia Chambers of Commerce (LCC).
Shearer stated that AGOA is a great opportunity for Liberia and the United States to utilize such a trade agreement.
The USAID Private Enterprise Officer believed that when Liberian businesses grow, the United States will benefit from high-quality agricultural products.
“We like palm oil; we like other agricultural products that come from Liberia; and when Liberia grows, it presents another market for United States businesses to tap into,” Shearer explained. “And that trade of ideas, knowledge, physical growth, and technology between U.S. frames.”
According to him, the U.S. market wants big Liberian businesses to regulate the import of products that they will be able to sell.
“This is really a win-win opportunity that we all should take advantage of. Instead of exporting in raw form with value-added processing, just make sure that Liberians get a larger share of their product,” Shearer urged Liberian businesses.
He noted that if Liberia is to transition from subsistence farming to a commercial agriculture sector capable of international export, there really needs to be a policy, an effort, and a strategy to utilize AGOA and focus on international exports because we have a policy environment and a national strategy to support this,”
Shearer added that AGOA emphasizes value-added products, and this is one thing that USAID will like to promote as well, noting that, the United States government really want to see more Liberians adding value to their products prior to export so that Liberian businesses can enjoy a larger share of the value of those products for themselves.
He said AGOA has been around, and since then, many African countries have benefited from lower free trade with the United States and many other parts of the world.
Shearer told the economic operators that Liberia is a country that possesses abundant resources; agriculture has been the backbone of the economy, and as such, it is now time to make use of the bigger market.
He maintained that AGOA presents a unique opportunity to increase economic growth for a country. However, despite the potential opportunities, there haven’t been enough efforts from Liberian businesses to transport goods to the United States.
Shearer said the U.S. government wants to see more Liberians adding value to their products prior to export so that Liberian businesses can enjoy a larger share of the value of those products for themselves.
“It will be very difficult for individual businesses to take advantage of this. And it is crucial that the Liberian government work together with the private sector, stakeholders, and civil society to create that strategy and implement it together. AGOA presents tremendous opportunities for Liberia’s agriculture. However, it is up to Liberians to realize that opportunity,” he concluded.
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