This week, Gabon, in collaboration with the United States, will host the 2015 U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum (known as the AGOA Forum) in Libreville. 

Recently reauthorized by the U.S. Congress for an additional ten years, AGOA has been the cornerstone of the U.S. government’s trade policy with sub-Saharan Africa since 2000. This is the 14th year that government officials, business leaders, entrepreneurs - including youth and women - and civil society from African countries and the United States will come together to discuss trade, business, and investment opportunities that sustain economic development in Africa. This year’s conference will consist of the ministerial AGOA Forum from August 26-27, side events sponsored by private sector, civil society, and the African Women Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP) from August 24-25, and a trade exhibition from August 23-27.  

A session on Thursday, August 27, brings focus to health as a driver of accelerated development, trade and investment. The session, Ebola and other Disease Outbreaks: Implications for Trade, Agriculture and Economic Development, will explore how investments in multiple sectors, including public health, private industry and trade, can prevent the outbreak of diseases, help improve and expand trade, and accelerate economic growth. The discussion will highlight the importance of global health security and the strengthening of multi-sectoral systems to reduce risk factors that amplify the spread of infectious diseases and debilitate economic stability.  The session and technical brief are a collaboration of the US Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Africa and the US Department of Health and Human Services, with support from the African Strategies for Health project implemented by Management Sciences for Health.

• Download Technical Brief: Ebola and Other Outbreaks: Implications for Economic Growth and Trade 
• Download summary in French

Session Co-Chairs: 

• Dr. Mitchell Wolfe, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs, US Department of Health and Human Services
• Dr. Toga McIntosh, Vice President, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Session Panelists: 

• Mr. Eric Meyer, Deputy Assistant Secretary, US Department of Treasury 
• Dr. Wilberforce Kisamba-Mugerwa, Executive Chairperson, National Planning Authority, Uganda 

You can follow the conversation online through #AGOA2015 and #AGOAForum and by following @StateDept, @USAID, @USTradeRep, @StateAfrica, @EconEngage, @MCCGov, @ARSParis and @USEmbassyGabon on Twitter.



Read more about AGOA:

• US Department of State - 5 Things you should know about AGOA
• Live at State - AGOA 2015 Forum Preview
• Op-Ed by U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) CEO Dana J. Hyde – “Unlocking Africa’s Trade Potential”
• All Africa - In Focus Coverage on AGOA

The first Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Forum on Good Practices in Health was held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from July 29 to July 31, 2015. The forum, organized by the West African Health Organization (WAHO), brought together nearly 300 researchers, policy makers, implementers, program managers, and donors, primarily from the 15 member states representing the ECOWAS region. With aims to encourage discussion and advocate for the adoption of approaches to health and development in the region, sessions addressed what works in reproductive health and family planning; in leadership, management and governance; in health services delivery approaches; in socio-cultural approaches and advocacy; and on the scalability and sustainability of effective practices.