Dick Lugar: “I rise to discuss the African Growth and Opportunity Act which has passed the House in March and is now before the…”

“I rise to discuss the African Growth and Opportunity Act which has passed the House in March and is now before the Finance Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee. I am the principal Senate sponsor of the bill which I introduced some fourteen months ago. There are ten co-sponsors. I introduced the Africa bill because I believe that our policy towards sub-Saharan Africa should be revised to reflect changing global and regional realities. For too long, our policy has been based on country-by-country aid relationships and devoid of any comprehensive strategy towards the continent. As important as our child survival, health, agriculture, educational and humanitarian programs have been, they have not promoted much economic development, political stability or self-reliance. Nor have they benefitted the American economy. For that reason, it is time to re-evaluate our policy. That is the purpose of the African bill. The African Growth and Opportunity Act is the first serious attempt to formulate a new American strategy towards Africa. It provides a general road map for expanding economic engagement and involvement in Africa through enhanced trade and investment. It seeks to establish the foundation for a more mature partnership with those countries in Africa undertaking serious economic and political reforms. I'm pleased to note that virtually all African Ambassadors have endorsed this bill.”