{"id":38829,"date":"2012-04-18T10:00:10","date_gmt":"2012-04-18T10:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sierraexpressmedia.com\/?p=38829"},"modified":"2012-04-18T10:00:10","modified_gmt":"2012-04-18T10:00:10","slug":"the-increasing-american-jobs-through-greater-exports-to-africa-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sierraexpressmedia.net\/?p=38829","title":{"rendered":"The increasing American jobs through greater exports to Africa Act"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 <\/strong>\u201cThe Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act\u201d\u2014 new legislation to support U.S. jobs by growing U.S. exports to Africa\u2014was the focus of federal and policy expert witnesses at a hearing held Tuesday by <\/strong>Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) (in photo), Chairman of the House congressional panel that oversees African issues.<\/p>\n

Joining U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson and U.S. Assistant Trade Representative for Africa Florizelle Liser was Isaiah Washington, advocate and former star of ABC\u2019s Grey\u2019s Anatomy, as well as actor in numerous TV shows and movies. He is the founder and President of a goodwill group to aid Sierra Leone called the Gondobay Manga Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act<\/a>,\u201d is the title of both the bipartisan bill and the hearing held before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights, chaired by Smith. Smith is author of the bill, and <\/strong>Rep. Bobby Rush (IL-01) is the coauthor.<\/p>\n

\u201cH.R. 4221 would contribute to job growth in the United States by facilitating increased sales to the emerging markets of Africa<\/strong>,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThe African Development Bank estimates that one out of three Africans is considered to be in the middle class \u2013 that\u2019s 314 million Africans who have escaped poverty and can now buy consumer goods, including those from the United States.\u00a0 In order to reduce our trade deficit with the nations of Africa, there is room to engage in trade that increases economic opportunity for Africans and Americans<\/strong>.\u201d Click here to read Congressman Smith\u2019s remarks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Washington told the panel that trade can assist efforts to improve development across Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2012 is an important means of making U.S.-Africa trade more beneficial to Americans, which will make the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and other trade measures aimed at increasing U.S.-Africa trade more attractive to those who are not directly involved in African issues<\/strong>,\u201d said Washington, who traced his own roots back to impoverished Sierra Leone and now works to aid the country. \u201cThis bill could be the catalyst to open the floodgates of American investment and business-to-business relationships with African partners that will fulfill the promise of AGOA and create more development than any aid program could ever hope to achieve.\u00a0\u00a0 Thank you for introducing this bill, and I urge you to do all you can to pass it<\/strong>.\u201d Click here to read Washington\u2019s statement.<\/a><\/p>\n

H.R. 4221 encourages members of the African Diaspora to increase their involvement in U.S.-Africa trade. Small and medium-sized businesses in the United States accounted for 60 percent of U.S. exports in 2010, and traditional and recent members of the African Diaspora are most evident in these categories. The legislation calls for not less than 25 percent of existing available trade financing be used for U.S.-Africa projects, especially small and medium-sized businesses. The legislation is intended to stimulate U.S. bilateral trade with Africa and boost American exports to Africa by 200 percent within 10 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cU.S. trade to and from Africa has grown significantly in the past ten years<\/strong>,\u201d testified Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson, head of Bureau of African Affairs. \u201cU.S. exports to sub-Saharan Africa tripled from fewer than seven billion U.S. dollars in 2001 to over $21 billion dollars in 2011. This threefold increase illustrates the impressive economic growth that many markets in Africa achieved by tackling tough reforms over the past decade<\/strong>.\u201d Click here to read Carson\u2019s testimony<\/a>.<\/p>\n

African officials have long encouraged American entrepreneurs to sell more of their products to Africa, such as irrigation equipment and other agricultural equipment and supplies.\u00a0Such sales would not only increase jobs in the United States by expanding production for an expanding market, but it would allow African agricultural producers, for example, to become more efficient and productive.<\/p>\n

According to the U.S. International Trade Administration, the United States is the world\u2019s largest importer of African goods, receiving 20.2 percent of the continent\u2019s total global exports. However, U.S. exports fell sharply during the height of the global recession. From 2008 to 2009, U.S. exports to Africa dropped 45 percent from $78.3 billion to $42.8 billion. According to estimates by the U.S. Trade Representative Office and the U.S. Department of Commerce, every $1 billion in exports supports more than 6,000 jobs. If the legislation\u2019s goal of raising U.S. exports to Africa by 200 percent with 10 years (from $21 billion in 2011 to $63 billion) is achieved, the creation of over a quarter of a million new U.S. jobs could be realized.<\/p>\n

Testimony of the witnesses can be read below (click on the name):<\/p>\n