[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 118 (Wednesday, June 19, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28587-28588]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13029]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 332-571]


U.S. Trade and Investment With Sub-Saharan Africa: Recent Trends 
and New Developments

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Institution of investigation and scheduling of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: Following receipt of a request dated May 6, 2019 from the 
United States Trade Representative (USTR) under the section 332(g) of 
the Tariff Act of 1930, the U.S. International Trade Commission 
(Commission) has instituted Investigation No. 332-571, U.S. Trade and 
Investment with Sub-Saharan Africa: Recent Trends and New Developments, 
for the purpose of preparing the report requested by the USTR. The 
Commission has scheduled a public hearing in connection with this 
investigation for July 24, 2019.

DATES: 

July 12, 2019: Deadline for filing requests to appear at the public 
hearing.
July 17, 2019: Deadline for filing pre-hearing briefs and statements.
July 24, 2019: Public hearing.
July 31, 2019: Deadline for filing post-hearing briefs and statements.
August 16, 2019: Deadline for filing all other written submissions.
March 31, 2020: Transmittal of Commission report to USTR.

ADDRESSES: All Commission offices, including the Commission's hearing 
rooms, are located in the United States International Trade Commission 
Building, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC. All written submissions 
should be addressed to the Secretary, United States International Trade 
Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. The public record 
for this investigation may be viewed on the Commission's electronic 
docket (EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov/edis3-internal/app.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Project Leaders Arthur Chambers 
([email protected] or 202-205-2766) or Wen Jin (Jean) Yuan 
([email protected] or 202-205-2383) for information specific to 
this investigation. For information on the legal aspects of this 
investigation, contact William Gearhart of the Commission's Office of 
the General Counsel ([email protected] or 202-205-3091). The 
media should contact Margaret O'Laughlin, Office of External Relations 
([email protected] or 202-205-1819). Hearing-impaired 
individuals may obtain information on this matter by contacting the 
Commission's TDD terminal at 202-205-1810. General information 
concerning the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its 
internet server (https://www.usitc.gov). 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.
    Background: The Commission instituted this investigation following 
receipt of a letter from the USTR dated May 6, 2019. The letter 
requested that the Commission conduct an investigation and provide a 
report on U.S. trade and investment with sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The 
USTR asked that the Commission's report, to the extent information is 
available, focus primarily on the years 2016-2018, or the latest three 
years for which data are available, but where appropriate examine 
longer-term trends since 2000. The USTR asked that this report should 
include the following:
    1. An overview of U.S. exports of goods and services to SSA, which 
should, to the extent information is available:
    a. Identify the sectors in which U.S. exports of goods and services 
to SSA have increased the most, in both value and percentage terms, and 
indicate major factors behind this growth.
    b. Identify the SSA countries to which U.S. exports of goods and 
services have increased the most, in both value and percentage terms, 
and indicate the major factors behind this growth.
    c. Identify SSA countries to which U.S. outward FDI has increased 
the most, in both value and percentage terms, and indicate major 
factors behind this growth.
    d. Provide examples of how products and services from the United 
States integrate into key SSA value chains; identify possible 
opportunities for U.S. firms to better integrate into these value 
chains, where appropriate; and describe national or regional policies 
and other macroeconomic factors that may affect future demand for these 
U.S. products.
    2. An overview of U.S. imports of goods and services from SSA, 
which should, to the extent information is available:
    a. Identify the sectors in which U.S. imports of goods and services 
from SSA have increased the most, in both value and percentage terms, 
and indicate major factors behind this growth. Data on goods should 
include both AGOA (including GSP) imports and total imports.
    b. Identify the SSA countries in which exports of goods and 
services to the United States have increased the most, in both value 
and percentage terms, and indicate the major factors behind this 
growth. Data on goods should include both AGOA (including GSP) imports 
and total imports.
    3. To the extent information is available, describe the 
intellectual property environment, including national and regional 
laws, enforcement measures, and infringement issues, in key SSA 
markets. Through case studies describe the effects of the intellectual 
property environment on trade and investment in the key SSA markets.
    4. Provide a broad overview and examples of technological 
innovation in the SSA food and agricultural production, processing, and 
marketing system. This should include a broad description of SSA food 
and agricultural producers' use of technological improvements in such 
areas as crop and livestock nutrition and genetics (including 
biotechnology); machinery and equipment; data processing and analytics; 
and digital market information and risk management systems. Through 
case studies, describe how the adoption of such technological 
improvements has affected certain SSA food and agricultural producers' 
overall production and export performance. Additionally, describe 
current national and regional regulatory policies and market conditions 
in key countries in SSA that may affect the adoption of technological 
improvements in the SSA food and agricultural sector.
    5. Provide a broad overview and describe recent developments in the 
digital economy for key SSA markets. Provide information on the market 
for digital technologies in those key SSA markets as well as the role 
of digital products and services from the United States. To the extent 
that data are available, describe the market for digital products and 
services, such as internet-connected devices, cloud computing, e-
commerce, Internet of Things, blockchain, and internet search and 
digital content, as well as how adoption of digital technologies 
affects other industry sectors, such as manufacturing and other 
services. Describe current national and regional regulatory and

[[Page 28588]]

policy measures and market conditions in key countries in SSA that 
affect digital trade.
    6. Provide a summary of recent developments of regional integration 
efforts in SSA, including progress on the negotiation and 
implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
    7. Briefly summarize the AGOA utilization strategies that have been 
developed by SSA countries.
    8. To the extent practicable, provide a summary of the most recent 
2019 data on U.S. trade flows of goods with SSA.
    9. The USTR asked that the Commission provide its report by March 
31, 2020.
    Public Hearing: A public hearing in connection with this 
investigation will be held at the U.S. International Trade Commission 
Building, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on 
July 24, 2019. Requests to appear at the hearing should be filed with 
the Secretary no later than 5:15 p.m., July 12, 2019, in accordance 
with the requirements in the ``written submissions'' section below. All 
pre-hearing briefs and statements should be filed not later than 5:15 
p.m., July 17, 2019; and all post-hearing briefs and statements 
addressing matters raised at the hearing should be filed not later than 
5:15 p.m., July 31, 2019. In the event that, as of the close of 
business on July 12, 2019, no witnesses are scheduled to appear at the 
hearing, the hearing will be canceled. Any person interested in 
attending the hearing as an observer or nonparticipant may call the 
Secretary to the Commission (202-205-2000) after July 12, 2019, for 
information concerning whether the hearing will be held.
    Written Submissions: In lieu of or in addition to participating in 
the hearing, interested parties are invited to file written submissions 
concerning this investigation. All written submissions should be 
addressed to the Secretary, and should be received not later than 5:15 
p.m., August 16, 2019. All written submissions must conform to the 
provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedure (19 CFR 201.8). Section 201.8 and the Commission's Handbook 
on Filing Procedures require that interested parties file documents 
electronically on or before the filing deadline and submit eight (8) 
true paper copies by noon eastern time on the next business day. In the 
event that confidential treatment of a document is requested, 
interested parties must file, at the same time as the eight paper 
copies, at least four (4) additional true paper copies in which the 
confidential business information must be deleted (see the following 
paragraphs for further information regarding confidential business 
information). Persons with questions regarding electronic filing should 
contact the Office of the Secretary, Docket Services Division (202-205-
1802).
    Confidential Business Information. Any submissions that contain 
confidential business information must also conform to the requirements 
of section 201.6 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure 
(19 CFR 201.6). Section 201.6 of the rules requires that the cover of 
the document and the individual pages be clearly marked as to whether 
they are the ``confidential'' or ``non-confidential'' version, and that 
the confidential business information is clearly identified by means of 
brackets. All written submissions, except for confidential business 
information, will be made available for inspection by interested 
parties.
    In his request letter, the USTR stated that his office intends to 
make the Commission's report available to the public and asked that the 
Commission not include any confidential business information or 
national security information in the report. The Commission will not 
include any confidential business information in the report that it 
sends to the USTR or makes available to the public. However, all 
information, including confidential business information, submitted in 
this investigation may be disclosed to and used: (i) By the Commission, 
its employees and Offices, and contract personnel (a) for developing or 
maintaining the records of this or a related proceeding, or (b) in 
internal investigations, audits, reviews, and evaluations relating to 
the programs, personnel, and operations of the Commission including 
under 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3; or (ii) by U.S. government employees and 
contract personnel for cybersecurity purposes. The Commission will not 
otherwise disclose any confidential business information in a manner 
that would reveal the operations of the firm supplying the information.
    Summaries of Written Submissions: The Commission intends to publish 
summaries of the positions of interested persons. Persons wishing to 
have a summary of their position included in the report should include 
a summary with their written submission and should specifically state 
the summary is intended for that purpose, and it should be titled as 
such. The summary may not exceed 500 words, should be in MSWord format 
or a format that can be easily converted to MSWord, and should not 
include any confidential business information. The summary will be 
included in the report as provided if it meets these requirements and 
is germane to the subject matter of the investigation. The Commission 
will identify the name of the organization furnishing the summary and 
will include a link to the Commission's Electronic Document Information 
System (EDIS) where the full written submission can be found.

    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: June 14, 2019.
Lisa Barton,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2019-13029 Filed 6-18-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P