[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 8 (Monday, February 24, 1997)]
[Page 207]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Letter to Congressional Leaders Transmitting the Second Africa Trade and 
Development Report

February 18, 1997

Dear ________:

    I am pleased to submit the second of five annual reports on the 
Administration's Comprehensive Trade and Development Policy for Africa 
as required by section 134 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. Our 
policy seeks to accelerate the pace of sustainable economic development 
for the countries of Africa.
    This Second Africa Trade and Development Report reflects our 
conviction that economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa will benefit 
both Africans and Americans. Stronger economies will better enable 
African nations to address a variety of complex problems that transcend 
regional boundaries. In an increasingly competitive global economy, the 
United States cannot afford to neglect a vast region that contains 
almost 10 percent of the world's population. Our efforts to help Africa 
develop will also create more export opportunities for U.S. goods and 
services and more jobs at home. These efforts to strengthen African 
economies will also reduce the cost in later years for large-scale U.S. 
humanitarian aid and enhance local and regional capacity to address 
transnational problems that threaten regional stability.
    Many African countries have made significant progress in the 
struggle for development in recent years. With assistance from the World 
Bank and the International Monetary Fund, more than 30 Sub-Saharan 
African nations have instituted economic reform programs, and, since 
1990, nearly as many have held elections.
    Nevertheless, there is much more to be done. The United States and 
other developed nations must do our part to promote economic growth and 
development in the region. Additionally, African governments must 
recognize that the failure of many to open their markets to increased 
international trade has inhibited regional economic growth.
    This second report summarizes the status of ongoing programs 
discussed in last year's African trade and development report and 
introduces several initiatives designed to spur investment, development, 
and trade over the near to medium term. These programs and initiatives 
seek to achieve five basic objectives set forth in the first report: 
trade liberalization and promotion, investment liberalization and 
promotion, development of the private sector, infrastructure 
enhancement, and economic and democratic reforms implemented by many 
Sub-Saharan African governments in recent years.
    Working with the Congress, the U.S. private sector, the countries of 
Africa, and our other trading partners, the Administration looks forward 
to developing additional initiatives to promote trade, investment, and 
development in Africa.
    Sincerely,
                                            William J. Clinton

Note: Identical letters were sent to Jesse Helms, chairman, and Joseph 
R. Biden, Jr., ranking member, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; 
William V. Roth, Jr., chairman, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, ranking 
member, Senate Committee on Finance; Benjamin A. Gilman, chairman, and 
Lee H. Hamilton, ranking member, House Committee on International 
Relations; and Bill Archer, chairman, and Charles B. Rangel, ranking 
member, House Committee on Ways and Means.