Commerce secretary leading trade trip to Africa

About 20 companies will visit Ethiopia, Kenya, Côte D’Ivoire and Ghana next week as part of the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa.    Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will lead a trade delegation to Africa next week.
   Representatives from about 20 companies, including Bechtel, Caterpillar, Dow Chemical, GE, IBM and UPS, will join Trump administration officials as part of the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA). 
   “President Trump and I firmly believe that American companies, working in conjunction with the African business community, will help African countries develop and, ultimately, take their rightful place within the international economic system,” Ross said in a statement.
   The African countries to be visited are Ethiopia, Kenya, Côte D’Ivoire and Ghana. 
   During the country visits, the delegation will explore market opportunities, as well as address hurdles to U.S. business access. 
   The Ethiopian government has expressed interest in infrastructure improvements, while Kenya is seeking U.S. company investments in its power, aviation, healthcare, transportation and agribusiness sectors. Côte D’Ivoire wants to build up its transportation and energy sectors, and Ghana is focused on rail, road, mining and manufacturing development.