Secretary Daley's Commercial Development Mission to Africa

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

Secretary Daley's Commercial Development Mission to Africa

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Commerce.

ACTION: Secretary Daley's Commercial Development Mission to Africa.

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SUMMARY: This notice serves to inform the public of a Secretarial

Commercial Development Mission to Africa, September 12-20, 1998, and of

the opportunity to apply for participation in the mission; sets forth

objectives, procedures, and participation criteria for the mission; and

requests applications.

DATES: Applications should be submitted to Lucie Naphin by July 15,

1998, in order to ensure sufficient time to obtain in-country

appointments for applicants selected to participate in the mission.

Applications received after that date will be considered only if space

and scheduling constraints permit. The mission is scheduled to travel

to South Africa, Kenya and Cote d'Ivoire, with other possible stops in

the region.

ADDRESSES: Request for and submission of applications--Applications are

available from Lucie Naphin, Director of the Office of Business

Liaison, at (202) 482-1360 or via facsimile at (202) 482-4054. Numbers

listed in this notice are not toll-free. An original and two copies of

the required application materials should be sent to Ms. Naphin.

Applications sent by facsimile must be immediately followed by

submission of the original application to Ms. Naphin at the following

address: Office of Business Liaison, Room 5062, U.S. Department of

Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC

20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lucie Naphin at (202) 482-1360.

Information is also available via the International Trade

Administration's (ITA) Internet home page at ``http://

www.ita.doc.gov''.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Trade Mission Description

Secretary of Commerce William M. Daley will lead a Commercial

Development Mission to Africa with program stops in several countries,

including: South Africa, Kenya, and Cote d'Ivoire. The mission will

build on the momentum of President Clinton's March 1998 visit to Africa

in which Secretary Daley participated, strengthening commercial ties

and expanding the dialogue between the public and private sectors of

Africa and the United States.

The U.S. business delegation members on this mission will include

U.S. companies whose interests are compatible with the developmental

aspirations of the host countries, as well as those for whom advocacy

will assist their efforts to win contract awards. The delegation will

include business executives primarily representing companies in sectors

which have been recommended by U.S. Embassies as having strong growth

potential in the region, including: telecommunications, information

technology, computers and software, agribusiness, power generation,

health care, financial services, environmental technologies and general

infrastructure.

The mission is scheduled to depart Washington, DC on Saturday,

September 12, 1998 and return on Sunday, September 20. The precise

schedule will depend on the availability of African government and

private sector officials, the specific goals and interests of mission

participants, and specific recommendations of the U.S. Embassies in the

region.

The program for the mission will include: embassy briefings on the

commercial/economic environment; meetings with potential buyers,

agents/distributors and strategic alliance partners; meetings with

African government ministers and business leaders; meetings with

American business executives based in Africa; and legal seminars

featuring African and U.S. government speakers as well as participation

from the local private sector in each region.

The goals for the mission will include:

Integrating Africa more fully into the global economy;

Renewing African determination to build prosperity through

free enterprise;

Encouraging regional economic integration and cooperation;

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Working with African nations to transform the African-U.S.

relationship from one of aid dependency to one of commercial

partnership for mutual advantage;

Achieving a more level playing field for U.S. firms in

African markets;

Increasing trade between Africa and the United States.

A full description of the mission is set forth in the Mission

Statement, which is available from Lucie Naphin, Director of the Office

of Business Liaison, at the address listed above or at the web site

listed above.

Trade Mission Participation Criteria

The recruitment and selection of private sector participants in

this mission will be conducted according to the Statement of Policy

Governing Department of Commerce Overseas Trade Missions announced by

Secretary Daley on March 3, 1997. Individuals must be at a level of

executive seniority appropriate to the goals of the mission. Company

participation will be determined on the basis of:

Consistency of the company's goals with the scope and

desired outcome of the mission as described herein;

Relevance of a company's business line to the plan for the

mission;

Past, present and prospective business activity in Africa;

and

Diversity of company size, type, location, demographics

and traditional under-representation in business.

An applicant's partisan political activities (including political

contributions) are irrelevant to the selection process. An interested

party must fill out an application to be considered for participation

in the mission.

Endorsements/Referrals

Third parties may nominate or endorse potential applicants, but

companies that are nominated or endorsed must themselves submit an

application to be eligible for consideration. Referrals from political

organizations will not be considered.

Costs

The fees to participate in the mission have not yet been determined

and will be based on the number of participants. The fees will not

cover travel or lodging expenses.

Authority: 15 U.S.C. 1512.

Dated: June 12, 1998.

Robert Marro,

Regional Director, Office of Africa, Near East and South Asia,

International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

[FR Doc. 98-16127 Filed 6-15-98; 8:45 am]

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