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Welcome to the AGOA Civil Society Organization (CSO) Network Site!!!


The AGOA Civil Society (CSO) Network is a consortium of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), small-to-medium -sized business representatives, chambers of commerce and other groups in the United States and Africa that are interested in the successful application of AGOA for the benefit of the American and African people.

The Network was established by 102 member organizations from the United States, Mauritius, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Namibia, Mali, Lesotho and the Democratic Republic of Congo that were in attendance during the AGOA Civil Society Forum on January 17, 2003, in Phoenix,  Mauritius.

The AGOA CSO Network's focus is on increasing the volume and quality of African exports under AGOA and educating stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean on this trade policy and its advantages.



The 8th Annual AGOA Civil Society Organization (CSO) Network Spring Conference took place on April 13, 2023, at George Washington (GW) University, and virtually. The event was organized in partnership with the Institute for African Studies, The Elliott School for International Affairs, at GW University, and virtually. The theme of the Spring Conference was Extending AGOA to 2035: Using Trade to Strengthen U.S.-Africa Strategic Alliances.  

The hybrid event featured high-level speakers from civil society organizations, private sector companies,  and government institutions from the U.S. and  Africa committed to expanding U.S. - Africa trade and economic cooperation. The conference will addressed the following topics:

    •      AGOA Eligibility and Inclusive Economic Growth
    •       Increasing the Number of AGOA-Eligible Countries
    •       Expanding U.S. Africa Trade, Investment & Economic        Cooperation
    •       Extending AGOA to 2035   




AfrICANDO 2021/19th CSO Session         of the AGOA Forum 

Download the Agenda

Currently 36 of the 49 Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Countries are Eligible for AGOA Benefits






 24th Annual U.S. -Africa Trade & Investment Conference/Expo 

THEME: The Diaspora: Accelerating U.S.-Africa Trade Investment, and Technological Innovation

October 25-27, 2023

  Miami, Florida, USA


REGISTER HERE!!!


Check Out  Our  Publication !!! 

The Impact of COVID-19 on U.S. - Africa Trade

and Economic Cooperation



Download Publications  Here!!!



2021 Communique

Civil Society Organization Network Session

19thMinisterial Session of the AGOA Forum

Miami, Florida, USA 

On

October 20,  2021

Miami, Florida, USA


The Civil Society Organization (CSO) Session of the 2021 African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum took place October 6-8, 2021, under the theme: The Impact of COVID-19 on US Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation: The Way Forward. The CSO Session was held jointly with the 22nd Annual US-Africa Trade and Investment Conference/Trade Show at the Miami Airport Convention Center (MACC), in Miami, Florida.

The CSO Session of the 19th AGOA Forum was a hybrid event that brought together members of the AGOA CSO Network from venues in Miami, Florida; Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); Lagos, Nigeria, and other AGOA eligible countries with virtual participation from the United States and Africa. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss solutions and provide input to areas critical to public and private sector stakeholders’ success on The Way Forward regarding the following issues:

      AGOA: Miami the Gateway to Africa

       Cyber Security, E-Commerce and E-Learning

       Climate Change: The Impact on Politics and the Economy

       US-Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation: The Way Forward

       Local Manufacturing of COVID-19 Vaccine in Africa: Challenges/Opportunities and Diaspora                             Contributions

       Civic Education, Elections and Governance in Africa

       Financing and Capacity Building for SME’s 

Discussion Highlights:
The COVID-19 pandemic almost brought global economic activity to a standstill, drastically disrupting the global supply chain and resulting in the loss of more than 4.7 million lives to date and causing significant structural damage to the nation’s economy. In January 2021,  the AGOA

CSO Network Secretariat and its members published a policy white paper on The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on US-Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation - AGOA with recommendations and areas of concern for the Biden/Harris Administration and U.S. Congressional Leaders for action and implementation. To view the policy white paper visit www.agoacsonetwork.org/Publications.  (Read more)



LETTER FROM PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN

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OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN




Dear President Biden:

The AGOA Civil Society Organization (CSO) Network would like to join the world in congratulating you and Vice President Kamala Harris on your historic victory in being elected the 46th President and the 49th Vice President of the United States (U.S.). Your election inspires hope for the kind of change that our country needs at this moment. We strongly believe that you have ascended to this global leadership position at a pivotal point in our nation’s history. And that you are uniquely positioned to drive home solutions that will change our approach to the COVID 19 pandemic, economic recession, civil and racial unrest, and development in Africa while restoring the United States’ standing in the world and ensuring our global prosperity.

Africa is strategically important to the United States because of its vast reserves of precious and strategic metals, crude oil, uncultivated arable land, and potential as a destination for U.S. investment, tourism, and cultural exchanges. A non-stop flight from Miami, Florida to Dakar, Senegal takes approximately 6 hours, 30 minutes, about the time it takes a non-stop flight from Miami to San Francisco (6 hours, 35 minutes); de-mystifying the existing mindset that Africa is too far from the United States. And Africa’s population is projected to reach 2.8 billion by 2060 from the current population of 1.26 billion. Currently, sixty-percent (60%) of Africa’s populace is below 35 years old with a growing middle class.

Strengthening trade and economic cooperation with Africa can only result in job creation on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, embed American economic interest, values, and goodwill in a region that is poised to take center stage of the world economy in the next two decades. Given Africa’s resources, its proximity to the United States, growing population and the existing cordial relationship between the American and African people, this is a deal that’s good for both America and Africa.

Since its enactment more than two decades ago, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has been the cornerstone of U.S. economic engagement with the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and has helped to increase two-way trade between the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa. (Read more) 


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The AGOA CSO Network is an Initiative of The Foundation for Democracy in Africa (FDA)

FDA is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. Address: 1200 G Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC  20005

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