As Prepared for Delivery
Fellow ministers, heads of delegation from our AGOA Partner Countries, Secretaries-General and Commissioners of the Regional Economic Communities and the African Union, U.S. Government colleagues, honored delegates and invited guests—it is an honor to have all of you here today.
Welcome to Washington and to the 21st AGOA Ministerial meeting.
I want to acknowledge the extraordinary job that the African Union Mission and the U.S. Government interagency, in particular my team at USTR and our colleagues at the Department of State, have done in organizing this year’s Forum.
Hosting all of you here in Washington is very meaningful for me.
I don’t know if you have had a chance to visit, but one of the newest museums on the National Mall is the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
As you enter the museum, you see a map of the transatlantic triangular trade routes. A web of arrows crisscrosses the map, symbolizing the supply chains of that era.
This is a painful part of our history, but one that serves as an important reminder of where we must go, and how we must continue to evolve and better ourselves.
For the last three years, the Biden-Harris Administration has been focused on doing exactly that on trade.
When President Biden asked me to serve as his Trade Representative, he gave me a directive—to use trade for the common good.
This means putting workers at the center of our trade policy, because they are the backbone and engine of our economy.
This also means expanding the table and lifting up more voices, especially those of women, youth, the African Diaspora, and communities that have been historically overlooked.
This is how we are democratizing economic opportunity and transforming the role of trade in the social contract between our government and our people.
These core beliefs are also the centerpiece of our trade relationship with Africa—especially AGOA.
We see AGOA’s success to date, but we also see its potential for a new era. We see how it can be a driving force to bring more people in, support regional integration, empower workers and their communities, and help protect our shared planet.
We must also be clear eyed about the changes we are all experiencing in the global economy, and have the courage and commitment to adapt to the times, for the better.
That is why our time together this week is so important.
Africa possesses tremendous opportunity and potential. I observed this firsthand during my travel to the continent, including last year to Kenya and South Africa.
Over the past 24 years, AGOA has made a tangible difference in the lives of millions of Africans. New jobs. New business opportunities.
But we must also acknowledge that the world is very different from when AGOA was first enacted.
We all experienced how fragile our supply chains can be, especially during and coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. And we continue to experience the effects of a worsening climate crisis.
That is why the Biden-Harris Administration not only supports the reauthorization of AGOA, but also the strengthening and improving of it to fit the times.
This Forum is an opportunity for us to discuss this together.
We must be candid about areas where AGOA can be improved—like raising utilization rates, especially among developing countries.
Let us also discuss how we can make our supply chains more resilient, not only to withstand future shocks, but also to reflect our shared values.
Our work with the AfCFTA Secretariat is a good example of something we are already doing on this topic.
And our negotiations with Kenya on the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership can serve as a positive, forward-looking model for our engagement with the continent.
Above all, a key goal and theme throughout the Forum is how we can make AGOA more inclusive, responsive, and transformative—for all segments of our societies.
I think we all agree on what AGOA—and our broader work in trade—should do. We want people’s lives to change for the better.
It’s a simple proposition that is hard to accomplish—to capture both our current realities and future possibilities.
This is hard, but that is why all of us are here. To do the hard things, together.
No one government or organization can get there alone, but I am sure that our collective resolve and action can be used for the common good.
So, let us live up to that challenge.
Earlier, I mentioned a map in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and I want to close by telling you about another map.
Many of us were in Johannesburg last November for last year’s AGOA Forum.
A lot of things were memorable from our days together, but one thing that left a lasting impression on me was the giant map of pre-colonial Africa, showing historic trade routes across the continent.
It was a powerful reminder for all of us that, for generations, the people of Africa have been traders from the very beginning.
As the continent continues to change and grow, as it continues to integrate, it is our job to come alongside as partners, as fellow traders, to support and energize those efforts.
The United States is committed to doing just that, and I am delighted to work with all of you toward our shared goals.
I look forward to a productive Forum as we chart a path of transforming and modernizing our partnership. Thank you.
###
