US vows to boost Africa`s trading capacity

The Assistant U.S Trade Representative (AUSTR) for Trade Capacity Building, Mary Ryckman has said her government is committed to assisting Africa and other developing countries to enhance their trade capacity.

Speaking to journalists yesterday in Dar es Salaam Ryckman said that the US government had been helping developing countries for many years.

She was explaining the United States Government`s role in the implementation of ?Aid for Trade` programs.

The U.S had sent a senior level delegation, led by Ryckman herself and Deputy Assistant USTR for Trade Capacity Elena Bryan to the two days Aid for Trade regional meeting that took place in Dar es Salaam from October first this year.

`The World Trade Organization`s (WTO) Doha Development Agenda promised to put developing countries` concerns at the center of trade negotiations.

The US government has taken this challenge seriously and at the Hong Kong Ministerial meeting of the WTO in December 2005, pledged `Aid for Trade` grants for developing nations that amounted to USD 2.7 billion a year by 2010.

She claimed that the recently announced approval of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCC) compact of USD 698m for Tanzania is one aspect of the US `Aid for Trade` pledge she said

She added that the US would continue providing technical and financial assistance to Tanzania and other developing countries that seek to reduce poverty, stimulate economic growth, and increase household incomes through targeted infrastructure investments in transport, energy, and water.

Answering questions from journalists on how African products could secure market in America and European countries, she replied that there was a need to improve the quality of food and other products in order to win those markets.

`Food safety is one of our government concerns to the consumers. The problem of good standard for food products coming from Africa and other developing countries must be solved. It is important to ensure that food is safer within Africa and other areas in the world,` she said.

On why there are many conditions in giving grants to developing country the assistant US Trade Representative said that the among the purpose of the conditions were to ensure that funds granted to governments were properly used.

She said that donors would want to know whether various projects which they support were successfully being implemented.

Ryckman is responsible for coordinating US trade capacity building activities which help developing countries participate in the global trading system and benefit from the opportunities created buy trade.

She works closely with other federal agencies, international organizations, the private sector and non-governmental organizations in order to develop a broad response to the needs of U.S. trading partners.