Bill Clinton: “Comprehensive Trade and Development Policy for Africa February 5, 1996 Dear Mr. Chairman: I am pleased to submit the…”

“Comprehensive Trade and Development Policy for Africa February 5, 1996 Dear Mr. Chairman: I am pleased to submit the first 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. This first report examines the trade and development challenges confronting Sub-Saharan Africa, reviews the policies currently being pursued to address those challenges, and presents a policy framework for the United States as it seeks to support and facilitate African initiatives to address these challenges. With this first report, it is my intention to open a wider dialogue with the Congress, and with public and private sector representatives in Africa and the United States. This dialogue will sharpen the focus of the U.S. role in assisting Africa to meet its development challenges and, in the process, to promote U.S. trade and investment in the region. Subsequent reports to the Congress will highlight progress in implementing new initiatives and reflect the necessary evolution of U.S. policy. The challenges facing Sub-Saharan Africa are difficult and varied. Solutions will not be easy or quick. The most critical element of any development strategy, upon which the success of all other elements depends, is the willingness of the people and their leaders to make the correct, and often difficult, policy choices. It is this point that gives us cause for optimism about Africa today.…”