VZCZCXYZ0003
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHNR #0988/01 1350606
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 150606Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9541
INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY 3210
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC PRIORITY 1804
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0537
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA 0581
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 6528
RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI 0129
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 3264
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 5333

UNCLAS NAIROBI 000988 
 
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 AND TIJEN AYBAR 
 
STATE ALSO FOR EEB/TPP/BTA AMY HOLMAN 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS USAID/EA AND USAID/AFR/SD BRUNO CORNELIO AND JEFF 
MALICK 
 
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: AGOA PREPARATIONS MOVE APACE 
 
REFS: (A) NAIROBI 859 AND PREVIOUS 
 
¶1.  This cable is not/not for internet distribution. 
 
¶2.  Summary:  At the May 7 meeting of the AGOA Main Preparatory 
Committee, the Government of Kenya (GOK) agreed to our request to 
separate lunch and the ministerial closing on the final day of the 
forum.  The committee agreed with the recommendation of the 
Conferencing Sub-committee to close the trade exhibition to the 
public (including the smaller Jua Kali craft fair) during the forum. 
 Minister of Trade Amos Kimunya has approved the draft invitation 
for AGOA-eligible countries, and the GOK will send invitations to 
AGOA-eligible countries this week.  The Civil Society Sub-committee 
presented its program, and the GOK announced that draft programs for 
all three forum events are now posted on Kenya's AGOA website.  The 
private sector has made significant progress on its program, 
identifying many of the speakers for its plenaries and breakout 
sessions.  Registration for the private sector event is now open on 
the AGOA website.  In a separate meeting with Ambassador Ranneberger 
on May 13, Trade Minister Kimunya proposed holding a joint press 
conference announcing the forum once the official AGOA Forum logo is 
unveiled.  Kimunya also proposed to hold the EAC Investment 
Conference either one day earlier or later than the AGOA Forum, and 
requested a taped message from President Obama to play during the 
forum.  End summary. 
 
----------- 
Programming 
----------- 
 
¶3.  During the May 7 AGOA Forum Main Preparatory Committee meeting, 
ECON/C requested - and the committee agreed -- to separate lunch and 
the ministerial closing ceremony on the final day of the forum. 
During a smaller working meeting May 12, the Conferencing 
Sub-committee reviewed the three-day program in detail to plan 
meeting space and effective flow between the various forum events. 
On August 4, the GOK plans to synchronize times of the private 
sector, civil society and the African consultative programs in order 
to facilitate common tea breaks and lunch.  The working group 
confirmed there is adequate space in the Kenyatta International 
Conference Center (KICC) for three concurrent events.  On August 5 
and 6, the working group established space for the plenaries and 
breakout sessions for the US-Africa ministerial. 
 
¶4.  ECON/C requested a revised program that identifies sponsors for 
each social event.  The private sector plans to sponsor lunch on 
August 4 for all three events in the KICC's Tsavo Ballroom with a 
separate area for VIP participants.  The GOK will sponsor tea breaks 
on August 5 and August 6, and a gala dinner for all participants on 
the evening of August 5.  Kenya's Export Processing Zones Authority 
(EPZA) will sponsor lunch for all forum participants on August 6. 
The GOK requested feedback from the interagency team regarding US 
sponsorship of a social event during the forum. 
 
------------- 
Public Access 
------------- 
 
¶5.  Econ/C emphasized that we are not comfortable with tenant access 
to vendors located within the KICC during the forum events.  The 
full committee agreed with the recommendation of the Conferencing 
Sub-committee to close the trade exhibition to the public (including 
the smaller Jua Kali craft fair) during all days of the forum.  The 
Chair said that exhibit organizers should ensure that potential 
exhibitors understand the objectives of the show and that access 
will be restricted to registered participants of the forum, and he 
emphasized that he will not interfere with recommendations from the 
Security Sub-committee. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Private Sector/Civil Society Progress 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  The private sector has made significant progress.  Working with 
the USAID Regional Trade and Competitiveness Hubs, it continues to 
refine its program and source speakers and moderators for plenaries 
and breakout sessions and has opened up registration for its event. 
Potential participants are now able to download a registration form 
and fax it the private sector sub-committee to register for the 
forum.  The trade show event planner reported 118 stands are booked 
for the exhibit.  The Export Promotion Council (EPC) will provide 
support and training to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) so that 
they are able to effectively exhibit their export-ready goods at the 
trade show.  EPC is also mobilizing trade show participants through 
advertising. 
 
------------ 
GOK Progress 
------------ 
 
¶7.  The GOK has made the following progress on forum preparations: 
 
-- Minister of Trade Amos Kimunya has approved the draft invitation 
for AGOA-eligible countries, and the GOK reports it will send 
invitations to AGOA-eligible countries this week. 
 
-- Draft programs for all three events are now available on the 
Kenya AGOA Forum website. 
 
-- The GOK has finalized the terms of reference for an overall event 
organizer and the Public Relations sub-committee is moving forward 
with the selection of the vendor. 
 
-- The Conferencing Sub-committee is working on terms of reference 
for Xerox, the badging contractor.  The registration system will be 
ready to go live once they receive the final registration forms. 
 
¶8.  ECON/C acknowledged the hard work of the Badging and 
Accreditation sub-committee and emphasized the importance of a 
detailed written plan for the entire badging and accreditation 
process.  Econ/C reminded the committee that we would like to see a 
written list of fees associated with all events of the forum and 
confirmed that we do not know who will be a part of the U.S. 
delegation (press reports in Kenya have indicated that Secretary of 
State Clinton has confirmed her participation).  In a separate May 
13 meeting with Ambassador Ranneberger, Trade Minister Kimunya 
proposed holding a joint press conference announcing the forum once 
the official AGOA Forum logo is unveiled.  It is not clear when the 
logo will be chosen; a competition for the logo design closes May 
¶15.  Ambassador Ranneberger said that he would like to hold the 
press conference before the end of May; however, the timing depends 
on how quickly the final logo design is chosen.  During the meeting, 
Trade Minister Kimunya agreed to hold the EAC Investment Conference 
either one day earlier or later than the AGOA Forum, and requested a 
taped message from President Obama to play during the forum. 
 
Ranneberger