|
Archives
The
Corporate Council on Africa to Host Major African Oil and
Gas Forum in Houston,Texas
WASHINGTON, DC - The
Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) will host the "West Africa
Oil & Gas Forum" in Houston, Texas from November 19-20
at the Westin Oaks Hotel. The Forum will focus on oil &
gas production and opportunities for the U.S. petroleum
industry in West Africa. Assistant Secretary of State for
Africa, Walter Kansteiner, will open the conference. West
African petroleum ministers, senior level executives from
major U.S. petroleum companies and other U.S. government
personnel administering African policy will also attend the
conference. The audience will include government and
national petroleum company representatives from Angola,
Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea,
Gabon, Ghana, Mauritania, Nigeria and Sao Tome &
Principe, as well as U.S. oil and gas executives from
throughout the nation.
Interest in West African
oil and gas as a major source of energy for the United
States continues to grow as national planners look to
decrease dependence on Middle Eastern supplies. The region
is vital to businesses in the U.S. petroleum industry as
production, new discoveries, and exploration develop at a
fast pace. Currently, the region supplies almost 15 percent
of U.S. energy needs and imports are expected to rise to
nearly 25 percent by 2005.
The "West Africa Oil &
Gas Forum" will provide U.S. companies accurate guidance on
the political and economic situations in the region as well
as direction on related U.S. government policy. Plenary
sessions will include: "Energy, Infrastructure and Economic
Development: A Public-Private Partnership for Economic
Growth," "African Oil and U.S. Priorities," and "Risk
Management in African Oil Investments." Individual country
workshops will address petroleum and energy priorities;
upcoming procurement and bloc biddings; and the regulatory
environment.
Registration for the Forum
is $500 for members of the CCA and $950 for non-members. For
more information contact Christopher Alion at 202-835-1115
or by email at calion@africacncl.org. Online registration
for the Forum can be found on CCA's website
www.africacncl.org.
The Corporate Council on
Africa, established in 1992, is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3)
organization of nearly 160 American companies dedicated to
strengthening trade and investment ties between the United
States and Africa. CCA members represent nearly 85 percent
of total U.S. private sector investments in Africa.
CCA's
South African Business Linkage Program Extended and Expanded
through 2004
WASHINGTON, DC: The
Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) is proud to announce the
expansion and extension of its South African International
Business Linkages (SAIBL) Program. SAIBL, designed to
strengthen trade and investment partnerships between U.S.
companies and historically disadvantaged South African
businesses, will launch its two new components, the
Promoting Agribusiness Linkages (PAL) program and a Regional
Trade Pilot Project, for
2002-2004.
The SAIBL program,
funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID), is implemented in partnership by CCA and Ebony
Consulting International based out of Johannesburg, South
Africa. The program has generated more than US$185 million
in business transactions for South African and U.S.
companies in less than five years and helped create more
than 5,000 jobs. As of June 2002, 4,896 firms had accessed
SAIBL's services.
"The SAIBL program has been
a major vehicle for expanding U.S. commercial relationships
with smaller sized South African companies over the last
several years," said CCA President Stephen Hayes. "Its
expansion is a testament to its success."
The agribusiness sector is
a crucial element of South African economic and private
sector development. The new PAL Project will facilitate
networks and linkages between historically disadvantaged
smallholder farmers and larger, more mainstream,
agribusiness markets.
While up to this point
SAIBL has covered only South Africa, its Regional Pilot
initiative will enable the South African firms and the U.S.
private sector entities to capitalize on the ever-expanding
business and integration taking place between South Africa
its neighboring countries. Botswana, Tanzania and Zambia
will be the target countries. SAIBL's focus on AGOA is also
highlighted by the recent addition of an AGOA program
coordinator to the Johannesburg office.
CCA, established in 1992,
is a nonpartisan 501 (c) (3) membership organization of
nearly 150 American corporations dedicated to strengthening
the commercial relationship between the United States and
Africa. CCA members represent nearly 85 percent of total
U.S. private sector investments in Africa.
CCA's website is at www.africacncl.org
The Corporate Council on
Africa, 1100 17th Street, NW
Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 835-1115 Fax (202) 835-1117
www.africacncl.org
|
