"USA-Africa: A Partnership for Sustainable Success" is the central theme of the Summit held from May 6 to 9 in Dallas, bringing together heads of state and government, as well as business leaders from both the public and private sectors of American and African nations, including Morocco. Florizelle Liser, the head of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) that initiated this event, explains the purpose of this gathering.
In an interview with MAP, Florizelle Liser, President and CEO of the NGO Corporate Council on Africa and the initiator of the Summit, discusses the themes and challenges of this 16th edition and the close partnership with Morocco, the host of the 14th edition held in Marrakech under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. She also addresses the growth potential on the continent and the role of the private sector and public-private partnerships in sustainable development.
A seasoned economist, Florizelle Liser is the first woman to lead the Council since its inception in 1993. She previously served as the Deputy Trade Representative for Africa for the United States.
The CCA summit aims to be a platform for representatives from the private sector and the African and American governments to foster collaborations in key sectors such as agribusiness, energy, health, infrastructure, trade, new technologies, and finance.
How do you evaluate your partnership with Morocco and the Moroccan-American trade relations?
"In 2019, the CCA was thrilled when Morocco offered to host the 2020 USA-Africa Business Summit in Marrakech. I had the honor of working with Lalla Joumala Alaoui, then Morocco's ambassador to the United States, who galvanized her team in Washington with support from an exceptional inter-ministerial team in Rabat and the Moroccan private sector to ensure the success of the 14th edition of this summit. Although the COVID pandemic delayed us until 2022, the Summit, held under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, was a huge success. The American Vice President Kamala Harris announced at the opening that the United States would host the USA-Africa Leaders Summit which took place in December 2022."
The CCA had the pleasure of co-organizing the US-Africa Business Forum within the framework of the 2022 USA-Africa Leaders Summit. Our summit in Botswana in 2023 and this year's summit in Dallas build on the success of the Leaders Summit, once again gathering the largest assembly of leaders from the American and African governments and private sector to focus on strengthening economic ties between the United States and Africa.
Morocco is the only US free trade partner in Africa and the leading investor in Sub-Saharan Africa. We are thus very pleased to host a high-level delegation at this year's summit in Dallas, led by the Minister Delegate in charge of Investment, Convergence and Evaluation of Public Policies, Mohcine Jazouli.
What are the main topics on the agenda of the Summit, and how do you plan to foster the USA-Africa partnership during these times of geopolitical tensions and economic shocks?
The 16th USA-Africa Business Summit of the CCA, held from May 6th to 9th in Dallas, plans high-level discussions between the American and African governments and private sector leaders on key issues and sectors impacting trade, investment, and business between the two sides. This includes sectors that drive economic growth on both sides of the Atlantic such as agribusiness, aviation, energy, and health up to critical minerals, ICT/digital, sports, and the creative economy. The approximately 1,500 summit participants, including 8 African heads of state, ministers, members of the American government, and other high officials, as well as CEOs of companies will also discuss major African and American initiatives. Special sessions on SMEs and women's empowerment will highlight stakeholders who are essential to economic growth in the United States and their African partners.
American financing agencies, including the Export-Import Bank, the Development Finance Corporation, as well as international financial institutions such as the African Development Bank, the Trade and Development Bank, and Africa 50, will discuss financing major infrastructure and other projects with institutional investors, leaders of private equity firms, and corporate investors present at the Summit.
Building on this year's theme: USA-Africa: A Partnership for Sustainable Success, the summit's goal is not only to promote dialogue but also to advance business partnerships, transactions, and joint ventures between the United States and Africa that foster economic growth and prosperity for Americans and Africans.
As African countries face multiple challenges stemming from the COVID pandemic, the rising and volatility of commodity prices, and the fallout from crises in Ukraine and Gaza, Summit participants will focus on collaborative efforts that can address these challenges and, more importantly, on the significant issues and growing opportunities that the African market offers to the American government and private sector partners.
Despite a challenging context, Africa maintains its growth momentum and offers immense growth potential. However, perceptions and narratives about the continent are often negative and one-dimensional. How do you think this
