African Health Ministers To View US Export Opportunities

Health ministers from nine African nations will travel to the USA atend-April to discuss export opportunities for US pharmaceutical, medical supplies and health care equipment. The five-city tour is being billed as a "reverse trade mission," and is being sponsored by the US Trade and Development Agency and the Corporate Council on Africa (a Washington DC-based nonprofit organization that promotes stronger commercial ties between the USA and Africa).

Representatives from Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe will visit the US cities Washington DC, Princeton, Philadelphia, Boston and Indianapolis. These African nations, according to TDA director Joseph Grandmaison, represent a significant, but often overlooked, exporting opportunity for American companies, with more than $5.9 billion spent each year on health care and $995 million in pharmaceutical purchases alone.

The trip is aimed at familiarizing the ministers with US products and technology, and will also offer an unprecedented chance for US companies to learn more about the African market and meet with top officials, he said.