[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 14, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2057-2059]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-630]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Mission Statement; Jordan and Egypt Business Development Mission; 
February 14-19, 2009

AGENCY: Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Mission Description

    The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service is organizing a 
trade mission to Amman, Jordan and Cairo, Egypt, February 14-19, 2009. 
The mission will include representatives from U.S. firms offering 
equipment and services in a variety of industry sectors, including, but 
not limited to, the following: Aerospace, automotive parts, 
construction, education and training, energy and power generation, 
environmental, food processing, franchising, hotel and restaurant, 
medical, oil and gas field machinery, packaging, petrochemical, 
pharmaceutical, port development, railroad, real estate development, 
security, telecommunications, and water and wastewater treatment. All 
U.S. companies are eligible to apply.

Commercial Setting

Jordan

    Jordan continues to take steps to transform itself into an outward-
oriented, internationally competitive market-based economy, and has 
made considerable progress toward achieving macroeconomic stability and 
in implementing economic reform, especially in the areas of 
privatization and investment. Key reforms have been undertaken in the 
information technology, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and services sectors. 
Foreign and domestic investment laws grant specific incentives to 
industry, agriculture, hotels, hospitals, transportation, recreation 
projects, convention centers, and pipeline distribution of water, gas, 
and oil. Having worked closely with the International Monetary Fund and 
practiced careful monetary policy, Jordan now stands out in its region 
as a model of sound investor-friendly economic policy.
    Jordan's government liberalized its trade regime to guarantee its 
membership in the World Trade Organization (April 2000), and the U.S.-
Jordan Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which entered into enforcement 
December 2001, will eliminate virtually all trade barriers between the 
two countries over a period of 10 years, heightening advantages for 
U.S. exporters as tariff rates fall year-by-year. Jordan and the United 
States have also concluded a treaty to protect bilateral investment.
    The Jordanian market has enjoyed two years of gross domestic 
product (GDP) growth averaging 7 percent and is expected to see 
continued expansion. Reforms to customs, taxation, and investment laws 
have improved the business climate. Investors continue to show interest 
in Jordan's Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs), duty-free export 
portals that, since 1999, have attracted over $450 million in capital 
investments and created more than 55,000 new jobs, of which about 
15,000 are held by Jordanians--57 percent by Jordanian women. Jordanian 
imports from the United States reached $857 million in 2007, a 31.8 
percent increase over the previous year. Important market opportunities 
exist for U.S. firms in a variety of sectors, and there are niche 
markets for pharmaceuticals, laboratory equipment, real estate 
management services, and renewable energy, among others.

Egypt

    At 78.8 million, Egypt is by far the largest Arab country by 
population and has a reasonably well-educated labor force. Egypt's 
economy, traditionally associated with agriculture, has become 
increasingly diversified. While tourism is its single largest foreign 
exchange earner, Egypt is also a major oil and gas producer, ranking 
among the world's top ten gas exporters. The clothing and textile 
sector is the largest industrial employer and a major foreign exchange 
earner. Other leading industries include steel, cement, chemicals, 
pharmaceuticals, and light consumer goods. Agriculture, although 
shrinking as a percentage of GDP, still employs almost 30 percent of 
the population.
    Egypt's economy has improved considerably since 2005, due mainly to 
a new reformist government that has successfully floated the Egyptian 
pound, eliminated foreign exchange shortages along with the black 
market, reduced tariffs and simplified the tariff structure, moved to 
reform the financial sector, introduced measures to simplify the tax 
structure while lowering rates, and reduced the red tape necessary to 
conduct business. Supported by sustained reforms, Egypt's economy 
marked a year of impressive performance in 2007, receiving record 
foreign investment (FDI), along with official reserves exceeding $30 
billion. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 7.1 percent, and is 
expected to expand at a similar rate in 2008. Most of the FDI has gone 
into construction and manufacturing, resulting in lower unemployment. 
The government has also inked agreements with China, Jordan, Russia, 
Turkey and Qatar to construct industrial zones. Receipts from the Suez 
Canal and tourism brought in more than $11 billion in the first three 
quarters of last year. The Egyptian stock market has been one of the 
best performers in the region.
    Egypt's government is putting in place an institutional framework 
for private-public partnerships (PPPs). PPP projects

[[Page 2058]]

in the pipeline include building and maintaining 2,100 public schools, 
four hospitals, several potable and wastewater stations, and two 
freeways. Unmet demand for housing construction is estimated to be 
200,000 units annually. Telecommunications is another bright spot in 
the economy. Mobile penetration rates by three mobile operators stand 
at 28 million, or about 35 percent of the population. The government is 
expected to grant a second fixed-line license in 2008. Other 
significant sectors of interest to U.S. companies include steel, 
cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and light consumer goods. In 
addition, tourism, employing more than 10 percent of Egyptian workers, 
continues to offer strong possibilities, as expansion of Red Sea 
resorts and new development along the Mediterranean drive demand for 
hotel equipment and environmental management services. Airports and 
other infrastructure projects being built to serve the new resorts 
represent additional opportunities for U.S. firms offering project 
management and building systems and equipment.

Mission Goals

    The mission will assist representatives of American companies 
responsible for business activity in the Middle East and North Africa 
(MENA) with their efforts to identify profitable opportunities and new 
markets for their respective U.S. companies and to increase their 
export potential. The mission will actively market and recruit New-to-
Export (NTE) and New-to-Market (NTM) firms. Results expected from the 
mission include matches between U.S. participants and potential 
partners, agents and distributors, and joint venture partners; and 
market knowledge for future expansion.

Mission Scenario

    The mission will include commercial briefings, matchmaking 
appointments with local firms, and networking receptions in Amman, 
Jordan and Cairo, Egypt. Activities are scheduled to take place within 
a single work week, beginning Sunday in Jordan and ending Thursday in 
Egypt.

Proposed Mission Timetable

    The precise schedule will depend on the availability of local 
government and business officials and the specific goals of the mission 
participants. The tentative trip itinerary will be as follows:

Saturday, February 14, 2009

--Arrive Amman, Jordan
--Ice Breaker Reception

Sunday, February 15, 2009

--Commercial Briefing
--Networking Lunch
--Matchmaking Meetings

Monday, February 16, 2009

--Matchmaking Meetings at the hotel
--Mission Networking Reception

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

--Depart Amman, Jordan
--Arrive in Cairo, Egypt
--Ice Breaker Reception

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

--Commercial Briefing
--Networking Lunch
--Matchmaking Meetings

Thursday, February 19, 2009

--Matchmaking Meetings at the hotel
--Networking Lunch/Mission Wrap-Up

Criteria for Participation and Selection

    All parties interested in participating in the Jordan and Egypt 
Business Development Mission must complete and submit an application 
package for consideration by the Department of Commerce. All applicants 
will be evaluated on their ability to meet certain conditions and best 
satisfy the selection criteria as outlined below. A minimum of 5 and a 
maximum of 15 companies will be selected to participate in the mission 
from the applicant pool. U.S. companies already doing business in the 
MENA region, as well as U.S. companies seeking to enter the region for 
the first time, may apply.

Fees and Expenses

    After a company has been selected to participate on the mission, a 
payment to the Department of Commerce in the form of a participation 
fee is required. The participation fee will be $3,000 for a small or 
medium-sized enterprise (SME) \*\ and $3,575 for large firms. The fee 
for each additional firm representative (SME or large firm) is $300. 
Expenses for travel, lodging, most meals, and incidentals will be the 
responsibility of each mission participant. Delegation members will be 
able to take advantage of Embassy rates for hotel rooms.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \*\ An SME is defined as a firm with 500 or fewer employees or 
that otherwise qualifies as a small business under SBA regulations 
(see http://www.sba.gov/services/contracting opportunities/
sizestandardstopics/index.html). Parent companies, affiliates, and 
subsidiaries will be considered when determining business size. The 
dual pricing reflects the Commercial Service's user fee schedule 
that became effective May 1, 2008 (for additional information see 
http://www.export.gov/newsletter/march2008/initiatives.html).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Eligibility: Participating companies must be incorporated or 
otherwise organized in the United States.
    Conditions for participation:
     An applicant must submit a completed and signed 
application and supplemental application materials, including adequate 
information on the company's products and/or services, primary market 
objectives, and goals for participation. If the Department of Commerce 
receives an incomplete application, the Department may reject the 
application, request additional information, or take the lack of 
information into account when evaluating the applications.
     Each applicant must also certify that the products and 
services it seeks to export through the mission are either produced in 
the United States, or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm 
and have at least 51 percent U.S. content of the value of the finished 
product or service.
    Selection Criteria:
    Selection will be based on the following criteria:
     Suitability of the company's products or services to the 
Jordan and Egypt markets.
     Applicant's potential for business in Jordan and Egypt, 
including likelihood of exports resulting from the mission.
     Consistency of the applicant's goals and objectives with 
the stated scope of the mission. Referrals from political organizations 
and any documents containing references to partisan political 
activities (including political contributions) will be removed from an 
applicant's submission and not considered during the selection process.

Timeframe for Recruitment and Applications

    Mission recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner, 
including posting on the Commerce Department trade missions' calendar--
http://www.ita.doc.gov/doctm/tmcal.html--and other Internet Web sites, 
publication in domestic trade publications and association newsletters, 
direct outreach, and announcements at industry meetings, symposia, 
conferences, and trade shows. The mission will also be promoted by the 
ITA ANESA Team members in U.S. Export Assistance Centers.
    Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude no 
later than January 14, 2009. The mission will open on a first come 
first served basis. Applications received after January 14, 2009 will 
be considered only if space and scheduling constraints permit.

[[Page 2059]]

Contact Information

    Sheryl Maas, Commercial Counselor, U.S. Commercial Service, 
American Embassy--Amman, Phone: (962) (6) 590-6632, E-mail: 
[email protected] and [email protected].
    Cherine Maher, Commercial Specialist, U.S. Embassy Cairo, 
Telephone: +20 (2) 2797-2688/2689, E-mail: [email protected] or 
[email protected].
    Nyamusi K. Igambi, Senior International Trade Specialist, Houston 
U.S. Export Assistance Center, Phone: 713-209-3112, E-mail: 
[email protected].

    Dated: January 7, 2009.
Nyamusi Igambi,
Senior International Trade Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce, 
Houston, TX 77002.
[FR Doc. E9-630 Filed 1-13-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P