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Africa Journal
Zambia
Ambassador
Martin Brennan
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March 25, 2004
Business Reporter
UNITED States ambassador to Zambia, Martin Brennan, says Zambia's export earnings under the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) would rise significantly once the process of horticultural pest risk assessments is completed (translation: as the agricultural risk to the U.S. is ameliorated, more Zambian exports to the USA will be allowed).
The ambassador was speaking in Lusaka at the opening of the Zambia Handicrafts Market sixth seminar, organized under the auspices of the Southern Africa Global Competitive Hub.
Mr. Brennan said African states had scored success in line with the whole idea behind AGOA, which is that "building markets makes life better for all of us." It brings us all closer together and reliant upon one another as a global community. He said in 2002, total trade between the United states and sub-Saharan Africa was nearly $24 billion (U.S.) of which $18 billion was U.S. imports from Africa.
The ambassador said through AGOA, small countries that traditionally did not trade with the United States in the past had become successful exporters there, among them Malawi, Lesotho and Swaziland, all of which have doubled their AGOA exports between 2001 and 2003.
But Mr. Brennan also said that while AGOA now covers more than half of Africa's exports to America, less than 5 per cent of Zambia's 2003 exports to this market benefited from AGOA.
"Given the entrepreneurial spirit in Zambia today, I expect that Zambia's exports will reach several millions of dollars in the near future, in particular, once the process of horticultural pest risk assessment is completed," Mr. Brennan said.
He said the challenge for Africa is to do more to enable AGOA eligible countries to take full advantage of their textiles and handicrafts industries. These small craft industries empower villagers to create a new economic future for themselves.
Mr. Brennan said Zambia had obtained approval for both industry categories, and the U.S. was ready to help both the government and the local business community to identify relevant products, along with the requirements for exporting such products.
Export Board of Zambia (EBZ) executive director Glyne Michelo said that while sales from the handicraft sector have always been small, they have grown from $18,000 (US) in 1988 to about $380,000 in 2002. That represents a substantial growth curve, and a huge step forward for small communities and individuals seeking self sufficiency.
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