ITC Examines Export Opportunities and Barriers in AGOA-Eligible Countries
The International Trade Commission (ITC) has recently issued a press release announcing the release of a report examining the export opportunities and barriers in sub-Saharan African countries eligible for trade preferences under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
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The ITC report was conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and is intended to assist the President in conducting a study requested by Congress under the 2004 AGOA Acceleration Act (AGOA III).
37 AGOA-Eligible Countries Categorized into Nine Country Groups by Export Patterns
According to the ITC press release, the report identifies for each of the 37 AGOA-eligible countries (out of the 48 sub-Saharan African countries): (a) the major economic sectors with the greatest potential for growth in export sales, and (b) the domestic and international barriers that impede trade growth in such sectors. The 37 countries have been categorized into nine country groups by the ITC based on similar export patterns:
| Export Pattern Group | Countries |
|---|---|
| Petroleum | Angola, Cameroon, Gabon, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo |
| Predominantly mineral | Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Guinea, Zambia |
| Moderately mineral | Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa |
| Cotton | Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali |
| Fisheries | The Gambia, Mauritania, Namibia, Senegal, Tanzania, So Tom & Principe |
| Coffee, tea, and spice | Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda |
| Other agricultural | Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Swaziland |
| Apparel | Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius |
| Transport services | Cape Verde, Dijibouti, Seychelles |
Note that many AGOA-eligible countries have diversified export patterns so although they may be listed in one category above, their overall exports may encompass a number of different groups (i.e., DRC and Guinea are listed in the predominantly-mineral export group but they both also export petroleum).
Domestic and International Trade Barriers for AGOA-Eligible Countries
The ITC report also, for each AGOA-eligible country, identifies domestic and international trade barriers that limit or impede export growth. Domestic barriers identified in the report include a wide range of government problems including political instability, lack of government transparency, etc. as well as infrastructure barriers such as lack of electricity, insufficient telecommunications infrastructure, etc.
With respect to international trade barriers, the ITC report identified geographic-related barriers such as a country's land-locked status as well as regional instability as among the barriers faced by the AGOA-eligible countries.
(With significant contributions from the ITC, the USTR issued the AGOA Competitiveness Report in July 2005. The USTR noted that, among other things, the ITC conducted fieldwork to obtain information from businesses, private-sector associations, and multinational companies regarding potential export sectors and products, as well as barriers and impediments they have encountered in exporting from sub-Saharan Africa. See ITT Online Archives or 07/28/05 news, 05072820, for BP summary of the USTR's AGOA Competitiveness Report.
See ITT Online Archives or 05/27/05 news, 05052715, for BP summary of USTR's fifth annual AGOA report.)
ITC press release 05-136 (dated 11/16/05, Inv. No. 332-464) available athttp://www.usitc.gov/ext_relations/news_release/2005/er1116cc1.htm.
ITC report publication 3785, Export Opportunities and Barriers in African Growth and Opportunity Act-Eligible Countries, dated 10/05 available at, http://hotdocs.usitc.gov/docs/pubs/332/pub3785.pdf