U.S. trade steps to help African countries

   In advance of the 8th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, the United States on Wednesday announced steps to help the poorest WTO member countries benefit more fully from global trade.
   Expanding on programs providing preferential access to the U.S. market for least developed countries’ (LDCs) exports, as well as ongoing contributions in Aid for Trade and trade-related capacity, and new, additional initiatives include:

• Renewal of a technical assistance program for West African cotton producing countries. 
• Expansion of duty-free-quota-free treatment for certain cotton grown in LDCs. 
• Additional help for countries seeking to make maximum use of existing U.S. trade preference programs. 

   “We want to see these partners have a greater stake in global trade and overcome constraints inhibiting faster progress,” said U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk. “This is why, even before the announcement of these new initiatives, the United States has been one of the largest single-country providers of trade-related technical assistance, and why President Obama has made partnerships with developing countries, including LDCs, a key component of his trade agenda.
   “We look forward to pursuing new trade initiatives in close cooperation with our LDC partners at the WTO Ministerial Meeting this week and in the future,” he said.
   Earlier this year, the United States announced a new African Competitiveness and Trade Expansion initiative, as well as a Partnership for Trade Facilitation through the U.S. Agency for International Development. The administration also said it will work with Congress in 2012 to enact legislation extending the African Growth and Opportunity Act’s “third country fabric” provision to 2015, thereby sustaining existing benefits available to African apparel exporters.