[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 24, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33577-33578]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-13075]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-415]


U.S. Trade and Investment With Sub-Saharan Africa; Import 
Investigations

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Institution of investigation and notice of opportunity to 
submit comments.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: May 15, 2000.
SUMMARY: Following receipt on March 12, 2000, of a letter from the 
United States Trade Representative (USTR), the Commission instituted 
investigation No. 332-415, U.S. Trade and Investment with Sub-Saharan 
Africa.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Constance Hamilton, Office of 
Economics (202-205-3263), or Mr. William Gearhart, Office of the 
General Counsel (202-205-3091) for information on legal aspects of the 
investigation. The media should contact Ms. Margaret O'Laughlin, Office 
of External Relations (202-1819). Hearing impaired individuals are 
advised that information on this matter can be obtained by contacting 
the TDD terminal on 202-205-1810.

Background

    Pursuant to authority under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 
1930, the USTR requested that the Commission prepare a series of annual 
reports for five years containing the following information:
    1. For the last five years (and the latest quarter available), data 
for U.S. merchandise trade and U.S. services trade with sub-Saharan 
Africa, including statistics by country, by major sectors, and by the 
top 25 commodities, as well as statistics on imports from sub-Saharan 
Africa under the GSP program by country and major product categories/
commodities.
    2. Country-by-country profiles of the economies of each sub-Saharan 
African country, including information on major trading partners, by 
country.
    3. A summary of the trade, services, and investment climates in 
each of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including a description of 
the basic tariff structure (e.g., the average tariff rate and the 
average agricultural tariff rate). The summaries should also include 
information on significant impediments to trade, including any import 
bans.
    4. Updates on regional integration in sub-Saharan Africa and 
statistics on U.S. trade with major regional groupings (COMESA, EAC, 
ECOWAS, IGAD, SACU, SADC, and WAEMU). Where applicable, information 
should be provided on the regional group's tariff structure.
    5. A description of the U.S. tariff structure for imports from 
Africa.
    6. A summary of U.S. and total foreign direct investment and 
portfolio investment in sub-Saharan Africa.
    7. Information on sub-Saharan African privatization efforts based 
on publicly available information.
    8. A summary of multilateral and U.S. bilateral assistance to the 
countries of sub-Saharan Africa.

    The USTR requested that the Commission provide its first report by 
December 2000, and annually for a period of 4 years thereafter. The 48 
countries of sub-Saharan Africa covered in this investigation include: 
Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, 
Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the 
Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, 
Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, 
Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, 
Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and 
Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, 
Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Written Submissions

    The Commission does not plan to hold a public hearing in connection 
with this investigation. However, interested persons are invited to 
submit written statements concerning matters to be addressed in the 
report. Commercial or financial information that a person desires the 
Commission to treat as confidential must be submitted on separate 
sheets of paper, each clearly marked ``Confidential Business 
Information'' at the top. The

[[Page 33578]]

Commission's Rules do not authorize filing of submissions with the 
Secretary by facsimile or electronic means. All written submissions 
must conform with the provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's 
Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8). All submissions 
requesting confidential treatment must conform with the requirements of 
section 201.6 of the Commission's Rules (19 CFR 201.6). All written 
statements, except for confidential business information will be made 
available for inspection by interested persons in the Office of the 
Secretary to the Commission. To be assured of consideration, written 
statements relating to the Commission's report should be submitted at 
the earliest possible date and should be received not later than August 
31, 2000. All submissions should be addressed to the Secretary, United 
States International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 
20436.
    Persons with mobility impairments who will need special assistance 
in gaining access to the Commission should contact the Office of the 
Secretary at 202-205-2000.

    Issued: May 16, 2000.
    By order of the Commission.
Donna R. Koehnke,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-13075 Filed 5- 23-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P