By Anthony Foxx
For most of my life, the U.S. relationship with Africa has been focused solely on what type of aid we could provide. Thankfully, this is changing. Through President Obama's "Doing Business in Africa" Campaign, the United States has been looking for opportunities to invest in African countries instead.
The trade mission we launched today in Mozambique reflects this vision. On the surface, it would seem that our countries are worlds apart --that perhaps we have very little in common. But we live in an age, as President Obama has said, "when the boundaries between people are overwhelmed by our connections."
Because we both participate in the 21st-Century global economy, our prosperity and future are very much intertwined. And the focus of our trade mission is to strengthen these connections we have with Mozambique, and Southern Africa.
Joined at a launch event by Mozambique's Transportation and Communications Minister, Carlos Mesquita, I explained that our goal is to build an economic partnership between our countries that will result in more jobs, growth, and opportunities in Mozambique and America alike.
Now, Fast Lane readers might be asking, "Why is a Transportation Secretary leading a trade mission?" And that's not a bad question.
Well, Mozambique --thanks to decades of peace and political stability-- now has one of the fastest-growing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, but high transportation costs and infrastructure challenges are preventing it from growing even faster. Mozambique and Southern Africa, in particular, have been grappling with how to tie together regional markets to better facilitate trade.
In simpler terms, the task before Mozambique is to build a transportation system that is as good as the child in a remote village who dreams of attending a university, or as good as the young entrepreneur who wants to start a business but questions how that business will ever reach customers. There is a clear need for infrastructure that moves people and goods safely and more effectively across the continent.tr
That's why a key part of our trade mission is encouraging U.S. companies --especially those with experience building infrastructure-- to trade with and invest in Africa.
A lot of U.S. businesses are not aware of the many opportunities to trade and invest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Others have picked up on the opportunities but have had a difficult time developing business relationships.
We want to change this --and we aren't alone. Leaders representing 14 U.S. companies are traveling with me on this mission, and all of them see opportunities to trade with and do business with Mozambique.
DOT has a strong stake in this effort, too. We know, after all, that infrastructure is made of more than steel and concrete --it also has to be reinforced by good rules and operational standards. Knowledge-transfer is another important part of our trade mission --in both directions. To that end, we look forward to exchanging best practices with Mozambique when it comes to topics such as safety, planning, financing, and technology.
Transportation infrastructure is ultimately the work of many generations; it's the product of one generation investing in the future of another. My hope is that our trade mission will put the United States and Mozambique on a path of working together to improve transportation for many generations to come.