U.S., Rwanda advance trade relations

U.S., Rwanda advance trade relations    U.S. and Rwandan trade officials met in Kigali on Thursday to review progress on expanding their partnership on trade and investment under the U.S.-Rwanda Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.
   This was the third meeting of the U.S.-Rwanda TIFA Council, which provides a high-level forum for advancing cooperation on bilateral trade and investment issues. Topics specifically addressed in the meeting included implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), cooperation in the World Trade Organization, trade capacity building, export diversification, trade and investment promotion and infrastructure.
   'Our task at this meeting was to review our progress, identify outstanding challenges, and chart the way forward for our future work under the TIFA,' said Florizelle Liser, assistant U.S. trade representative for Africa, in a statement. The U.S.-Rwanda TIFA was signed in June 2006.
   According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, total trade between the United States and Rwanda was valued at $34.2 million in 2008, a 19 percent increase over 2007. During this same period, U.S. exports to Rwanda were valued at nearly $20.5 million, increasing by 27 percent, and Rwandan exports to the United States were valued at $13.7 million, increasing 8 percent. Substantially all Rwandan exports entered the United States duty-free under U.S. trade preference programs such as AGOA and the Generalized System of Preferences.
   The United States provided $1.5 million in trade capacity building assistance to Rwanda in 2008, not including Rwandan participation in the U.S.-funded regional trade capacity programs. In October 2008, Rwanda and the United States signed a $24.7 million Millennium Challenge Corp. threshold program designed to help Rwanda address factors related to its eligibility for Millennium Challenge Account compact assistance.
   'Several leading U.S. companies are currently examining possible investment opportunities in Rwanda in sectors such as energy, information technology, minerals and mining and agriculture,' the USTR said.