Minister Parks Tau leads South African delegation to 21st African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum in Washington, DC, 24 to 26 Jul

The Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), Mr Parks Tau departs for the United States of America tomorrow (21 July 2024) where he will be leading a South African delegation to the 21st African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum which will take place in Washington, DC from 24-26 July 2024. The delegation will comprise of government, private sector, civil society and organised labour representatives.

The Forum will be held under the theme "Beyond 2025: Reimagining AGOA for an Inclusive, Sustainable and Prosperous Tomorrow". The Forum will be preceded by a meeting of African Trade Ministers, Civil Society/Labour Forum and the Private Sector Forum.

The Forum in the USA follows a successful hosting of the 20th AGOA Forum by South Africa in Johannesburg in November 2023. The Forum demonstrated the vibrant regional value chains that are developing within the African Continent as a result of AGOA. This reinforced African regional integration and also highlighted the importance of early renewal of AGOA to ensure predictability in trade.

"The United States of America is South Africa's second largest trading partner in the world and this emphasises the strategic importance of the bilateral relationship between South Africa and the United States.

"The visit to the USA will thus provide Team South Africa an opportunity to engage with important stakeholders such as Members of Congress, the US Administration, as well as the US Business community," says Minister Tau

He adds that Team South Africa will use the opportunity of the visit to discuss ways of strengthening SA-US economic relations and to advocate for early renewal of the AGOA Legislation for at least 10 years in line with the position of the African Trade Ministers.

"South Africa will also advocate for AGOA to be complemented by an investment led strategy to mobilise US investments into Africa's productive sector for the mutual benefit of both parties," adds Minister Tau.

The AGOA Forum rotates annually between the United States and an eligible African host. South Africa is the largest non-oil Sub-Saharan Africa exporting partner to the US and through AGOA has been able to boost both agriculture and value-added exports, thus creating much-needed job opportunities for South Africans.

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