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DE RUEHNR #0372/01 0571137
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P 261137Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8612
INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY 3182
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC PRIORITY 1761
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0420
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA 0520
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 6355
RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI 0033
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 3164
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 5271

UNCLAS NAIROBI 000372 
 
STATE PASS USTR CONNIE HAMILTON, PATRICK DEAN COLEMAN, AND WILLIAM 
JACKSON 
 
STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/E, AND AF/EPS ANN BREITER, GABRIELLE MALLORY, 
MARY B. JOHNSON, AND TAWANNA DAVIDSON 
 
STATE ALSO FOR AF/EX SYLVIE MARTINEZ AND SONJA WRAY-BROWN 
 
AF/PD FOR CLAUDIA ANYASO 
 
STATE ALSO FOR EEB/TPP/BTA AMY HOLMAN 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS USAID/EA AND USAID/AFR/SD BRUNO CORNELIO AND JEFF 
MALLICK 
 
TREASURY FOR DAN PETERS AND REBECCA KLEIN 
 
COMMERCE FOR KEVIN BOYD, ALICIA ROBINSON, AND BECKY ERKUL 
 
AGRICULTURE FOR DON EVANS AND CATHY MCKINNELL 
 
LABOR FOR SUDHA HALEY AND MAUREEN PETTIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: ASEC AMGT ECON ETRD AGOA PGOV PREL KE
SUBJECT: KENYA PROVIDES PROPOSED AGOA FORUM AGENDA; MISSION 
RECOMMENDS INTERAGENCY VISIT IN LATE MARCH 2009 
 
REFS: (A) 02-24-09 MALLORY-YOUNG EMAIL 
      (B) 02-23-09 BREITER-YOUNG EMAIL 
      (C) NAIROBI 325 AND PREVIOUS 
      (D) 02-11-09 AGOA INTERAGENCY TELCON WITH MISSION 
          KENYA AGOA COMMITTEE 
 
¶1.  This cable is not/not for internet distribution. 
 
¶2.  Following receipt of ref B, mission AGOA committee has 
determined that an interagency visit during the week of March 16 
would be difficult to support.  Key logistics personnel will be out 
of Kenya during proposed TDY.  Mid-March is also spring break, 
indicating that key Kenyan contacts may be out of the office as 
well.  Mission AGOA committee recommends that an interagency visit 
be scheduled for the either the week of March 23-27 (Mission's and 
the Government of Kenya's first preference) or March 30-April 3. 
 
------------------------------ 
Kenyan AGOA Forum Preparations 
------------------------------ 
 
¶3.  On February 24, Lina Ochieng, senior Ministry of Trade official 
chairing the Government of Kenya's (GOK) AGOA Forum technical 
committee, provided ECON/C with the GOK's revised draft agenda for 
the Africa-United States Ministerial (revised from para 9 of Nairobi 
177), which she explained had been vetted with AGOA-eligible African 
missions in Washington, DC.  Note, the agenda still uses Kenya's 
proposed theme "Realizing the Full Potential of AGOA: Bridging the 
Gap."  ECON/C presented and negotiated on behalf of the USG-approved 
theme provided in ref A at the February 26 meeting of Kenya's AGOA 
Forum preparatory committee (septel).  At that meeting, the Kenyan 
private sector representatives, supported by the GOK, reiterated 
their view that they would like August 4 to be the private 
sector/civil society day.  A full three-day program has been drafted 
and will be forwarded to Washington via septel. 
 
¶4.  The following is Kenya's proposed draft agenda for the 
Africa-United States Ministerial: 
 
Theme: "Realizing the Full Potential of AGOA: Bridging the Gap" 
 
Introduction:  The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) 
constitutes the most significant legislative initiative by the 
United States of America to spur economic development, alleviate 
poverty and encourage trade with the Sub-Saharan region. However 
eight years down the line, AGOA beneficiary countries have not been 
able to fully benefit from AGOA. The 8th AGOA Forum therefore seeks 
to examine in depth why this has been the scenario with a view to 
bridging the gap. 
 
------------------- 
Ministerial Program 
------------------- 
 
Opening Session - Plenary I 
 
AGOA Eight Years On: Reexamining the objectives of AGOA and 
developing benchmarks and targets to realize meaningful economic 
development for SSA countries.  The session should focus on 
 
Successes, Challenges and Strategies towards utilizing the full 
potential of market access provided by this initiative. 
 
Tea Break 
 
Breakout Sessions 
 
Session 1 -Trade and Investment in Agriculture 
 
The session will look into: 
 
-- The challenges of exporting agricultural products case for value 
addition and focus on agribusiness outlining opportunities in the US 
market. 
 
-- Challenges and opportunities for investment in agribusiness in 
Sub Saharan Africa. 
 
Session 2 - Trade and Investments in Textiles and Apparel 
 
This session will look into: 
 
-- AGOA Challenges, i.e., the reasons for declining textile exports 
under AGOA; impact of removal of China safeguard measure. 
 
-- Category 9, the status of utilization of this category vs. 
others; challenges that have been encountered; steps that SSA 
countries can take to enjoy this facility as well as improve 
utilization. 
 
-- Vertical Integration, specifically barriers to investment and 
remedial measures. 
 
-- Strategies to safeguard and increase market share in the United 
States. 
 
Session 3 - Enhancing SMES Programs and Access to Finance 
 
SMES play an important role in the economic development of African 
countries.  The session will therefore look at what programs the 
African governments have put in place to promote SMES.  It will also 
attempt to identify financing gaps/shortfalls in addition to seeking 
possible options for increased access to finance. 
 
(Case study from a successful SME from sub-Saharan Africa) 
 
Session 4 - Trade and Investment in the Energy Sector 
 
The session will look at: 
 
-- Alternative source of energy - focusing on expanding and 
exploiting the full potential of renewable energy sources for 
sustainable development in Africa. 
 
-- Oil exploration and trade. 
 
Lunch Break 
 
Harnessing the objectives of AGOA in order to realize its full 
 
potential - Plenary II 
 
The US Policy and Regulatory Regimes - Plenary III 
 
The session will look at the US regulatory regimes and their effects 
on AGOA.   Presentation from APHIS Regional hubs and FDA among 
others, e.g. USDA, USAID, and USTDA on the following will be quite 
vital: 
 
-- Quality standards 
 
-- SPS 
 
Enhancing Competitiveness in the productive capacity - Plenary IV 
 
The session will look at: 
 
-- Supply side constraints 
 
-- Regional Integration 
 
-- Human and technical capacity building 
 
-- Necessary government incentives 
 
Breakout Sessions 
 
Session 1 - Enabling Private Investment 
 
The session will look at: 
 
-- Private-public partnerships for enhanced trade and investment 
under AGOA. 
 
-- Conducive investment environment, in particular, the importance 
of creating an enabling policy framework for private investments 
including the one stop shops for investors. 
 
-- Attracting US FDI flows and proposals for policy based 
incentives 
 
Session 2 - Market Development 
 
This session will look at: 
 
-- Product/regional promotion, notably the need for strategic and 
joint marketing programs for SSA; existing support programs (e.g. 
the hubs). 
 
-- Product development and importance of branding and image. 
 
Session 3 - Investment in Infrastructure 
 
This session will look at what governments have done in this sector 
which is crucial for trade facilitation and challenges for direct 
commercial transport between SSA and US particularly 
 
-- Transport - roads, railway, airports and ports 
 
-- ICT 
 
Tea Break 
 
Session 4 - Contemporary Global Challenges 
 
The session will look at the following and how they affect trade and 
investment: 
 
-- Global economic recession and its impact on Africa's development 
priorities. 
 
-- Security - bio terrorism, piracy and efforts to secure borders to 
promote trade and investment flows to Africa. 
 
-- Global Warming - strategies and policies for environment 
protection and areas for cooperation with the US. 
 
Technical Assistance and the role of Aid for Trade in enhancing 
trade and investment - Plenary V 
 
-- Update on WTO negotiations 
 
-- The future of AGOA (NPDA bill) 
 
-- Impact of the US farm bill 
 
Breakout Session 
 
Session 1 - Summary of conclusions and adoption of Report 
 
-- Group Reports from Breakout Sessions 
 
-- Summary Report and Adoption 
 
-- Closing Statements 
 
-- Joint Communique 
 
¶5.  Post would welcome USG interagency team reaction on this 
proposed agenda.  Doing so would allow us to discuss the agenda at 
the March 12 meeting of the GOK's AGOA Forum preparatory committee 
meeting. 
 
Ranneberger