Meeting of business executives in GhanaThe American government has described Africa as a very viable investment destination as it commits billions of dollars to development within the continent.
According to the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis, Marcus Jadotte,
“Africa is on the forefront of an economic emergence that will shape the world’s business environment for years to come.”
The comments by the US government also follows a meeting by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Trade Winds—Africa mission met with over a 100 companies from twenty-five(25) U.S. states. The meeting also formed part of measures to explore and determine the critical areas to invest resources across the continent.
The African countries included Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia and Kenya. Others were; Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania.
Following the discussions, eight U.S. companies on September 13 and 14 visited Ghana to explore business partnership opportunities.
The Trade Winds—Africa mission is part of a concerted effort under the President Obama administration dubbed, “The Doing Business in Africa campaign.”
A Senior U.S. Commercial Officer who works out of the American Embassy in Accra, Paul Taylor, believes the development will benefit most American companies who he describes as innovative and producers of quality goods and services but mostly lacking “a desire to make an impact.”
“U.S. companies leave behind trained workforces and improved infrastructure, among other benefits,” Pau Taylor added.
The eight companies included -Amalie Oil, Ardry Trading, The Von Corporation and RadioShack. The rest included; Graphic Products, ITSI Biosciences, Black & Veatch and Black Opal.
Their meeting with 68 Ghanaian businesses which also involved U.S. commercial diplomats from the U.S. Embassy in Ghana discussed ways to provide market-specific counseling to attendees.
The delegation is currently in South Africa for business-to-business meetings. They are also expected to attend a business forum featuring speakers from U.S. and African companies including McKinsey, Sasol, and Ford Motor Company.
