Obama: USDA to guarantee financing U.S. commodities to Africa
July 27, 2015 |03:28 PM
President Barack Obama announced on Sunday in Nairobi, Kenya, that the Agriculture Department’s Commodity Credit Corporation will provide an additional $1 billion for financing U.S. agricultural commodity exports to Africa through 2017, the White House said in a fact sheet.
The White House noted that Obama has prioritized the promotion of U.S. trade with and investment in Africa and said that U.S. non-petroleum imports from Africa increased by 46 percent and U.S. goods exports to Africa increased by 59 percent since 2009.
The fact sheet said that the CCC had committed $1 billion in financing guarantees for exports of U.S. agricultural commodities at the 2014 U.S.-Africa Business Forum and U.S. Africa Leaders Summit, that $975 million has been made available, and that the CCC will make immediately available an additional $100 million of its original commitment as well as the additional $1 billion through 2017.
Obama also announced that the U.S.-Africa Business Forum in 2016 will be held in the United States and that he will attend it.
During a news conference with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, Obama also mentioned the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Feed the Future program, although most of the attention to development projects went to Power Africa and industrial and services development.
“We’re going to keep investing in the health and well-being of our people,” Obama said. “Our Feed the Future initiative is focused on reducing hunger, malnutrition and poverty. We’re working together to ensure that girls have access to education and that women are protected from violence.”
“Today, I can announce that Kenya will be part of our DREAMS initiative to help keep adolescent girls safe and AIDS-free,” he said. “And across Africa, Kenya and the United States will keep working to strengthen public health systems and deal with outbreaks and diseases before they become epidemics. Together, we can save lives.”
Obama’s traveling party, which has moved on to Ethiopia, includes Acting USAID Administrator Alfonso Lenhardt and Gayle Smith, the special assistant to the president and senior director for development and democracy at the National Security Council whose nomination for USAID administrator is pending in the Senate.
The White House noted that Obama has prioritized the promotion of U.S. trade with and investment in Africa and said that U.S. non-petroleum imports from Africa increased by 46 percent and U.S. goods exports to Africa increased by 59 percent since 2009.
The fact sheet said that the CCC had committed $1 billion in financing guarantees for exports of U.S. agricultural commodities at the 2014 U.S.-Africa Business Forum and U.S. Africa Leaders Summit, that $975 million has been made available, and that the CCC will make immediately available an additional $100 million of its original commitment as well as the additional $1 billion through 2017.
Obama also announced that the U.S.-Africa Business Forum in 2016 will be held in the United States and that he will attend it.
During a news conference with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, Obama also mentioned the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Feed the Future program, although most of the attention to development projects went to Power Africa and industrial and services development.
“We’re going to keep investing in the health and well-being of our people,” Obama said. “Our Feed the Future initiative is focused on reducing hunger, malnutrition and poverty. We’re working together to ensure that girls have access to education and that women are protected from violence.”
“Today, I can announce that Kenya will be part of our DREAMS initiative to help keep adolescent girls safe and AIDS-free,” he said. “And across Africa, Kenya and the United States will keep working to strengthen public health systems and deal with outbreaks and diseases before they become epidemics. Together, we can save lives.”
Obama’s traveling party, which has moved on to Ethiopia, includes Acting USAID Administrator Alfonso Lenhardt and Gayle Smith, the special assistant to the president and senior director for development and democracy at the National Security Council whose nomination for USAID administrator is pending in the Senate.
