Johannesburg - The US Chamber of Commerce’s US-South Africa
Business Council joined with a congressional delegation led by Senator Chris
Coons (D-DE) for the business council’s South African launch in Johannesburg on
Wednesday.
This week‚ the chamber’s vice-president of African affairs
and international operations Scott Eisner and members of the United States
Senate and House of Representatives are meeting with senior government and
business representatives to explore opportunities to expand the commercial
relationship between the two countries.
The business council’s US launch took place in Washington‚
DC in December 2012.
“This week’s events further formalise the commitment of the
American business community to long-term growth and investment in the economies
of southern Africa‚” said Eisner. “US companies understand that they are late
to join their counterparts from Europe and Asia in recognising the
opportunities that exist here‚ but that only serves to make our commitment now
more deliberate and vigorous than ever before.”
Eisner joins US Senators Coons and Jonny Isakson (R-GA) and
US Representatives Karen Bass (D-CA) and Terri Sewell (D-AL) in a joint
business and government delegation trip‚ highlighting the importance of South
Africa as the economic hub for the entire southern region of the continent.
The business council will work to expand the commercial
relationship between the two countries‚ and highlight the critical role that
South Africa plays in America’s commercial interests on the continent.
The council will focus on a growth agenda by advancing
policies in Washington that support trade with Africa; sustaining a dialogue
between the US‚ South Africa and the Southern African Development Countries on
a trade and investment initiative; pushing for continued clarity and increased
consistency on the scoring of the equity equivalency requirement of Black
Economic Empowerment; protecting intellectual property rights as a foundation
for investment; and working to ease labour broker laws to allow American
companies to hire temporary workers for projects that support growth in South
Africa.
The chamber‚ the business council and the broader American
business community hope to jumpstart increased bilateral trade and outperform
other countries already investing in the region by offering superior goods and
services to the growing economy in South Africa.
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