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News Update HOW I MET PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH THROUGH IVP BY NOGI IMOUKHUEDE
Under the auspices of the International Visitors Programme (IVP), I was honoured to be part of a trade delegation made up of twenty one Africans drawn from, Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia, to United States of America (USA). The theme of the programme was US-Africa Investment and Trade.
The International
Visitors Programme sponsored by the US Department of State IVP was launched
in 1940 and seeks to build mutual understanding between the United
States and other nations through professional visits to the later,
so as to reflect the visitors' interests and support the foreign
policy goals of the US Government. IVP participants were selected
from government, the media, education, NGOs, the arts, business,
trade and other fields by the U.S Embassies in the represented countries.
Over 180 current and former Heads of Government and States and many
other distinguished world leaders in the public and private sectors
have participated in the International Visitors Programme. The programme
exposed us to the business culture in the United States, the link
between good governance and economic development in the new global
economy. The programme lasted for 3 weeks and took us to the following U.S. cities, Chicago Illinois, Sterling Illinois, Atlanta Georgia, Seattle Washington and Washington DC. In all the cities we visited, we were taken on sight seeing tours.
CHICAGO -
ILLINOIS - Chicago has
been called the heart of the Mid-West because of its location near
the middle of the United States and its accessibility by land, water,
and air. It has one of the largest and busiest ports in the United
States, it is the central meeting point for all rail lines traveling
across the country, and is served by O'Hare International Airport,
one of the busiest in the world. The city is also one of the most
important grain markets in the world. It has important industries
in steel, metal, and television and radio manufacturing. Chicago
is a recognized cultural and educational center, with its world-renowned
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago City
Ballet, Art Institute of Chicago, and many other museums, as well
as numerous experimental and traditional theater and dance companies,
it is also home to the famous Oprah Winfrey show. In addition to
the seven public and private colleges and universities, the city
also boasts of an array of community colleges. The "Windy City"
is noted for its unique and headline-grabbing political climate.
We also visited
the stadium of the world famous Chicago Bull Basketball club and
took photographs before the statute of one its all time famous players,
Micheal Jordan. Our delegation was in Chicago between 24th - 26th November, 2003 at the Ommi Ambassador East Hostel where the programme theme was two fold:
We had an introductory session on the U.S. economy, U.S. Government structure and U.S. Constitutional history. While in Chicago
we were at the following trade related centres;
November 27th-29th of November, 2003 the delegation was divided into three and we spent the Thanksgiving holidays with American families in three cities - Sterling Illinois, Paris Illinois and Kalamazoo, Michigan. I stayed with an African American family in Sterling Il. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with them. We had a sumptuous lunch of turkey potatoes, rice, ham, cranberry sauce , vegetables and the like. Prayers are usually said before eating, to thank God for his faithfulness. I also cooked a Nigerian dish for dinner, we had great fun! I also was taken on a sight seeing tour of Sterling. Sterling is a farming community with lots of farms and agro-allied industries. I was surprised that the town was highly industrialised and all the amenities and chain stores present in Chicago were also there. My host's son admitted that he had not visited Chicago in the last two years even though it was just two hours drive away. The lesson learned there for me is that to stem rural-urban drift in Nigeria, our villages and towns must be developed, we must have light, water, industries. This will create employment and citizens will not drift to our already over crowded and crime infested cities.
ATLANTA-GEORGIA On the 29th
of November, 2003, which incidentally was my birthday, we departed
Sterling for O'Hare Airport Chicago where we flew to Atlanta Georgia.
For many generations, Georgia has been known as the Empire State
of the South. The city of
Atlanta is the capital of one of the fastest growing regions in
the United States. Its current population stands at 4,112,000. The
city of Atlanta was incorporated as a city on December 29, 1845
and then made the capital of Georgia on April, 20th 1868. Its founding
at the end of a railroad line and its strategic location in the
center area of the Southern United States fuels its expansion, local
business activity, housing and per capita income. Georgia is a respected
leader in the field of broadband and has developed a significant
high-tech industry, biotechnology and environmental technology are
two or Georgia's specialties. Since 1987, Georgia has continued
to be one of the fastest-growing states in terms of population and
employment . Atlanta is the transportation, commercial, telecommunications,
financial, technological, intellectual, cultural, and sports center
of the Southeast. Atlanta's thrust
into the world spotlight after being named host city for the 1996
Olympics is only one aspect of the city's growing global presence.
The city is home to operations of nearly 1,500 of the most influential
international service and manufacturing businesses in the world.
Every time you sip a Coca-Cola, send a package by UPS, stay at a
Holiday Inn or Ritz Carlton hotel, fly a Lockheed plane or Delta
Airlines - even watch the news on CNN, then you are doing business
with Atlanta. Atlanta is increasingly
a diverse city with over 40 countries operating consulates and/or
trade offices there. Over 1,400 foreign-based businesses, (including
more Japanese companies than in any other state save California)
operate in Atlanta. Atlanta's Hartsfield
International Airport is the world's busiest passenger and flight
airport. It handles approximately 2,500 domestic and international
flights daily. Hartsfield Airport provides direct services to more
than 180 U.S. cities and 29 countries. As a result, Atlanta has
emerged as one of the top five convention cities in the nation,
hosting 3,250 conventions annually with more than 3.5 million attendees. Educational
institutions include Emory University, the Georgia Institute of
Technology, Georgia State University, and the University of Georgia
just 40 miles away in Athens. The Atlanta University, Morris Brown
College, and the Morehouse School of Medicine, is one of the top
concentrations of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in
the nation. Other outstanding institutions of higher education include
Oglethorpe University and Agnes Scott College. Atlanta also
has a rich cultural history. It is famed for being razed down by
General Sherman in the American Civil War, an event popularized
by its romantic portrayal in one of the world's best-selling books,
Gone with the Wind, written by Margaret Mitchell. It once again
moved onto the world's consciousness when Martin Luther King Jr.
and the Civil rights movement gained prominence. Other famous Georgians
include former President Jimmy Carter, Ted Turner who created CNN,
Juliette Gordon Lowe who founded the Girl Scouts of America, and
Andrew Young who was the first African-American Ambassador to the
United Nations. 1st December, 2003 we visited the Georgia Council, Georgia has tried to attract industries by developing industrial parks and has tax incentives to attract investors. The Local Government formulates favourable policies like locating industrial parks in the rural areas, to attract investments there and prevent rural- urban drift. Its goal is to create jobs for Georgians. We saw that in America there is competition between cities and states and prosperity is certainly not taken for granted. We also visited
the world headquarters of Coca Cola which is the world's leading
soft drinks company with about 300 brands. Coca Cola is 170 years
old with Atlanta Georgia as its world headquarters. 70% of total
business is done outside the United States. Coca Cola we learnt
deals in 180 currencies, advertises in 650 languages and pays taxes
to 200 countries, Coca Cola is the world's leading sponsor of world
sporting events like the Olympics and World Cup. We were also
taken on a tour of the headquarters and treated to a sumptuous lunch
by Management. We had a meeting
with the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), is a public/private partnership
comprising of academia, business and government which works for
the economic growth of Georgia. Its mission is to take advantage
of ideas generated from the University to make an impact on the
world. Its strategy is targeting, concentration and collaboration
and GRA successfully brought University Presidents into business-
political alliances. The six GRA Universities jointly conduct about
a billion dollars worth research annually, with an objective to
maximize the economic return to Georgia. Their measure of success
is the number of jobs they have created, basing their products on
research from universities, since the economy grows from jobs created
and taxes paid. So far 28,000 jobs have been created and 100 start
up companies incorporated. GRA also collaborates with researchers
from all over the world. Tuesday 2nd
December, 2003 we visited the Georgia AGOA (African Growth Opportunities
Act) Forum organised by the Georgia AGOA Commission at the beautiful
Georgia State Capitol. This afforded our delegation and the commission
an impressive interactive session Our group stayed in the Sheraton Hotel in Atlanta and some of our group were fortunate to meet Rev Jesse Jackson and took photographs with him, I was not so fortunate. SEATTLE WASHINGTON: 3rd December,
2003, we left Atlanta Georgia for Seattle, Washington. Seattle is
a port city with a strong international trade orientation to the
Pacific Rim. Its main industries, in addition to trade and exporting,
are lumber, fishing software, and aerospace, it is the home of Boeing,
Microsoft and Bill Gates, the world's richest man. Seattle is popular
with outdoor enthusiasts because of its proximity to two major mountain
ranges, the Cascades and Olympics, and its access to the Pacific
Coast. Within one hour, it is possible to be in the state capital,
in farmland, in the mountains, or on a ferry to the San Juan Islands.
Seattle is a national leader in electrical energy conservation.
Seattle also supports service and advocacy organisations for ethnic,
low income, elderly, and refugee populations. With all of its progress,
Seattle is still concerned with its past heritage and has preserved
the old section of downtown. Pioneer Square, where the city was
founded in 1852, has been renovated and designated an historic preservation
area. Even as international markets gain importance, city and state-level institutions play an increasingly pivotal role in encouraging local economic growth, market access, and sector competitiveness. 4th December,
2003, the African delegation was at the Boeing factory, where we
were given a tour of the facilities and shown the assembly plant
which is also the world's largest building, according to the Guinness
Book of Records. A Boeing 747 can cost as much as $200 million!
We saw airplanes at different stages of manufacture, some had even
been sprayed with airline colours such as KLM, Singapore Air etc. We also visited
the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle. The organisation
is a partnership between chamber of commerce, two county governments
equivalent to our Local Government Councils, the City of Seattle,
Port of Seattle and the Port of Dakova. Members include representatives
of Labour, Microsoft, Banks, University of Washington. The alliance
promotes the economy of the region, we were informed that they receive
delegations to Seattle from all over the world. We were told that
the objective of the organisation is to brand the city of Seattle
and create a synergy of tourism, industry and government. Seattle
was previously regarded as the last frontiers and the gateway to
Alaska. The Seattle economy has changed from timber to fishing to
manufacturing then with Boeing there was a switch to the high tech,
aerospace and manufacturing design. The University of Washington
is the second largest recipient of research money from the US Ministry
of Defense. Health care and biotechnology related research received
$1 billion in 2002. Microsoft is the biggest employer in Seattle
which also has about 2000 other software companies. Research and
Development for Microsoft is $1 billion. We then visited
the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic
Development. Seattle is a very trade dependent state, one in every
3 jobs is trade related. The state has a very similar climate to
France and is the second largest producers of wine. Salmon is a
major product and there is also eco-tourism for killer whales and
skiing. We also visited the Aerospace Marine and Security Programe. The goal of the programme is economic prosperity and is solution oriented. We then visited the African Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific North West (ACCPN). The objectives of the organisation is to bring companies who want to trade with Africa together. They promote the image of Africa and it is a membership based organisation and made up African businessmen. We had very useful discussions with them. WASHINGTON
DC. 7th December,
2003, we embarked on a sight seeing tour of Washington DC. It was
snowing and every where was white and beautiful though very cold.
For some of our delegation, it was our first experience of snow.
Washington DC
also known as "The District of Columbia," "The District",
or "D.C"., was established in 1800 as the capital of the
United States. Named after the first President of the United States,
it is located in a 63-square mile area along the banks of the Potomac
River, sandwiched between the states of Maryland and Virginia. The
site was selected by the founding fathers as a compromise between
northern and southern states. Today, the Washington metropolitan
area is home to the Federal Government, diplomatic establishments,
an expanding private sector, and a burgeoning international population.
Many residents are attracted by the proximity to the legislative
activities of the Federal Government, as well as to the city's quality
of life. For both residents and tourists, Washington offers myriad
activities. The nationally recognized symbols of democracy - the
White House and the Capitol - are complemented by equally familiar
memorials to American leaders and history, we visited the Lincoln
Memorial and saw the White House. The museums of the Smithsonian
Institute are some of the most popular in the world, from the Air
and Space Museum, celebrating the history of flight, to the National
Zoo, renowned for its collection of rare and unusual animals. The
John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts is a center for the rich
cultural life in Washington. The city boasts of 10 institutions
of postsecondary education, including Gallaudet, Howard, and Georgetown
Universities. These various elements work together to make Washington
a beautiful, stimulating city. AGOA is an initiative
of the United States Government and aims to use trade to bring the
people of Africa out of poverty; 6500 products can be exported to
the US duty free from Africa. Through AGOA, there has been a significant
increase in trade, bilateral agreements have been signed between
the US and Ghana, COMESA, Nigeria, Senegal and SACU. So far 38 African
countries are eligible to trade with the US under AGOA and they
enjoy tax and tariff exemptions. AGOA has created jobs in Africa,
Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Mauritius are success
stories. Lesotho is the largest exporter of clothing to the US.
$10 billion worth of goods have been imported to the US from Africa
so far. Trade in Africa
is very important and without trade there is no growth, economic
growth reduces poverty level so there is need for a shift from aid
to trade. There remain many challenges however, the US markets need
to be more accessible to African agricultural products. Africa needs
to participate fully in global trade because though it has 1/8 of
the world's population, its participation in global trade is a mere
1%. Africa risks being marginalized. Another barrier
to Africa agricultural exports to the US is its strict hygiene requirement,
so African countries have to build their capacities and infrastructures
to be able to comply. The regulatory body is the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department
of Agriculture. In Nigeria there is a need for standardization of
products and processing methods. Nigeria needs
to have an action plan to take advantages of the opportunities of
AGOA. The entrepreneurial spirit of the Nigerians must be harnessed,
Government, the private sector, Academia must come together and
produce an action plan to take advantages of the opportunities opened
by AGOA. The number of jobs created through AGOA - 18,000 in Lesotho,
38,000 in South Africa is worth emulating here. The entrepreneurial
spirit of the people must be supported by infrastructural development,
improved energy and most especially access to credit. There is also
the need for synergies and partnerships, we need to marshal our
resources and forces. There is an urgent need for modernization
of our industries to bring Nigerian products to international standards.
If we adhere to international standards our products become more
competitive in the global market, where we can take advantage of
ICTs and globalization, more industries in Nigeria should get international
certification like the ISO, so that our goods can be sold anywhere,
in the world and not just Nigeria. The resulting effects are that
there will be more confidence in Nigerian goods. We commend the
National Assembly for recently passing a legal frame work on AGOA.
It is hoped that this will create an enabling environment to enable
Nigerian entrepreneurs benefit from the great opportunity AGOA offers. We need to protect
our democracy and the Rule of law because this will promote investors
confidence in Nigeria. We should realise that there are so many
other countries competing for investment funds. South Africa
has benefited immensely from AGOA. It has given them the opportunity
to penetrate the US market. During our visit, we were informed that
South Africa now exports cars to the U.S. in addition to other goods.
The lack of access to credit needs to be seriously addressed in Nigeria.We need policies that make credit accessible to the people who really need it. Capital is critical in sustaining trade and AGOA. Economic growth promotes human well being. Trade allows access to technology. Improvement in technology means products gets cheaper. As society gets richer they spend more on health, infant mortality and maternal mortality drops. THE RULE
OF LAW AND TRADE: The rule of
law imposes restraints on government and opposes arbitrariness,
favoritism and unfairness. The rule of law is critical in order
to attract investments, which will not flow to an unfair system.
Investors are attracted when their Intellectual Property Rights
(IPRS) are protected and corruption is minimal. Investors demand
their ability to keep and repatriate their profits. The rule of
Law presupposes predictability, consistency- that the same rules
apply to everyone, continuity and impartiality- equal application
of the law. The rule of
law protects the sanctity of contracts. The rule of law implies
independence of the judiciary, which not subject to the National
Assembly or President. In America, the independence of the Judiciary was secured by two constitutional provisions;
HIV/AIDS
IN AFRICA The AGOA forum
also had a plenary session on HIV/AIDS with the participation of
U.S. and African policy makers, industry, private sector and Civil
Society Organisations.. It was disclosed that 28 million people
are living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The pandemic affects
the 15-49 year age group, which is the most active economic group.
HIV/AIDS is a serious threat to Africa's participation in global
trade and a whole session was devoted to HIV/AIDS at the Forum.
Africa needs a healthy workforce for a strong economic base and
HIV/AIDS is a great threat to the African economy. Productivity
is already falling in many African countries and HIV/AIDS issues
need to be mainstreamed in every sector of our economy AGOA has
facilitated new investments and created 190,000 jobs in Africa.
HIV/AIDS, is thus an economic threat to countries in the region,
because it depletes our most important resources -the human resource. Issues discussed include how we can use trade and development to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS, there was a brief review on the linkages between trade and health. The vulnerability of women was discussed. The US Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) will spend $5 Billion in the next 5 years on HIV/AIDS related issues. There was a presentation on Nigeria's Public-Private Partnership which is an initiative that involves the President of Nigeria, NACA (National Actual Council on AIDS), the Nigerian Business Community through NIBUCCA (Nigerian Business Coalition to Combat AIDS,) The American Ambassador, USAID and Chevron. Meeting with
President George W. Bush & Ms. Condoleeza Rice. Tuesday 9th
December, 2003, we had a meeting with President George W. Bush and
National Security Advisor Ms. Condoleeza Rice at the White House-
Eisenhower Building. The meeting with the President came as a surprise,
we were actually informed about it when we arrived Washington D.C.
I initially doubted and did not believe until we were seated and
hearing the President speak. It was really a pleasant surprise and
members of the delegation were happy we were going to a White House
briefing. Other people in attendance were Mr. Andrew Young, African
Ministers and other government officials. Ms. Condoleeza Rice first
addressed us and assured us on the Administration's continued support
for Africa. She urged African states to take advantage of AGOA and
embrace trade and investment for the economic growth of our countries.
She assured us that President Bush enjoyed his visit to Africa and
wished he spent more time there. After the National Security Adviser's
speech the President made an entrance. President George
Bush assured us that AGOA will be extended beyond 2008. He urged
African countries to embrace legal, political and economic reforms.
He regretted that Africa lost the opportunity to negotiate when
they boycotted the last WTO meeting. He informed us that America
was truly interested in the development of Africa and that US will
increase its core development assistance by 50% resulting in an
annual increase of $5 Billion by FY (Fiscal Year) 2006. He assured
the delegation that the MCA will concentrate on the HIV/AIDS pandemic
and devote funds for prevention and also care of People Living with
HIV/AIDS (PLWA.) In the evening we attended a reception at the US Department of State in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Reception Room. I cannot describe its beauty and grandeur, there were so many antiques and paintings and I just fed my eyes! THE INTERNET
AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA Wednesday 10th
December, we had a meeting with the Academy for Educational Development
(AED), an NGO that co-ordinated our visit. There we also attended
a seminar on the Internet and Development in Africa. The Internet's
presence in Africa is growing from 2.4 Million users in 2000 to
6.3 million in 2002. This is however small when compared to the
global numbers of 275 million users in 2000 to 605 million in 2002.
Only 5 African countries have national e-commerce trade sites and
7 countries have stock exchanges on the net. In the evening,
we attended a cultural event, Mama Mia. It was a Broadway-style
musical, based on Swedish rock group ABBA's timeless songs, we thoroughly
enjoyed the show. Thursday 11th December, we visited AFL-CIO- (The American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organisations, which is a voluntary federation of 64 National and International Labour Unions. The unions represent 13 million workers from every work of life. The four goals of the AFL-CIO are:
AGOA is the
only law in the U.S that connects the vast American market to Africa.
AFL- We also visited the State Department where we had a session on U.S-Africa Trade Relations.
Nogi Imoukhuede
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