Sec. 4. United States roadmap to promote the African Continental Free Trade Area
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The President shall, using existing interagency trade policy development and coordination authority and mechanisms, direct the United States Trade Representative, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and the heads of other Federal agencies the President determines have trade or trade-related development mandates, to publish a report: Describing efforts to promote the AfCFTA and to achieve the following goals:
Evaluate the industries in which the United States industries have a comparative advantage in Africa relative to other non-African countries, and strategy to promote trade and investment within those industries, especially in industries expected to grow with the implementation of the AfCFTA. Evaluate the industries in which the United States investments can create direct and indirect jobs, and strategies to sustain and enhance them in both African counties and the United States, as the markets grow with the AfCFTA.
Expand trade capacities and support trade-related infrastructure development, and prioritize major intra-African trade corridors. Support the implementation and success of the AfCFTA and its goals as identified in consultation with African counterparts at the continental, regional, and country level, including by— advancing African regional and intra-continental alignment of trade-related legal and administrative procedures; strengthening the technical capacity of the AfCFTA Secretariat; and promoting the development and expansion of African regional economic communities as they pertain to fostering trade, including through direct consultation and partnership with the AfCFTA Secretariat.
Improve the efficacy of United States trade capacity building to support AfCFTA implementation, as appropriate, including by identifying duplication of or incompatibility between the assistance activities of other major donors (such as nongovernmental organizations, other governments, and intergovernmental organizations) and the policies and projects included in the strategy. Enable more effective and inclusive participation of stakeholders, including those representing workers, environmental sustainability, African diaspora, women, youth, marginalized, or underrepresented groups, in the further negotiation of AfCFTA subsidiary agreements, protocols, or other legal texts, and the implementation of the AfCFTA generally.
Providing a description of the obligation and expenditure of all amounts made available to carry out the strategy during the preceding 2 fiscal years, disaggregated by fiscal year, account, and activity. Identifying successes and challenges relating to the implementation of the strategy. Evaluating whether there has been any progress made regarding achieving the qualitative and quantitative goals and metrics included in the initial report pursuant to subsection (b)(5). Providing any updates and revisions made to the criteria described in subsection (b)(5) and included in the initial report.
Updating recommendations as described in subsection (b)(6). Not later than 2 years after the submission of the initial report required by subsection (b), and every 2 years thereafter for 8 years, the President shall submit the report to the relevant congressional committees. The report required by this subsection may only be developed through prior consultation with, and submitted with the approval of, the Trade Policy Staff Committee established pursuant to section 242(a) of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ( 19 U.S.C. 1872(a) ).
Such report shall also be updated biennially with such prior consultation and pursuant to such approval. In developing the report described in this subsection, the United States Trade Representative shall, as appropriate and practicable, consult with— stakeholders in the United States and in Africa from the private sector, civil society, and African diaspora; relevant African Union entities such as the AfCFTA Secretariat; State, local, and Tribal governments; and United States development agencies and entities not represented on the Trade Policy Staff Committee, including the Prosper Africa Initiative Secretariat, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the United States Development Finance Corporation.
Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall, subject to the prior approval required under subsection (a)(3), submit to the relevant congressional committees an initial report that identifies a strategy to achieve the goals identified in subsection
(a)and an implementation plan for such strategy that includes each of the following: The rationale, objectives, and anticipated manner of implementation of the strategy. The anticipated role of each Federal department or agency involved in implementing such strategy, and the manner in which such departments and agencies should jointly collaborate at the interagency level. A summary of current trade capacity-building programs, projects, and activities of the United States in support of the AfCFTA as of the date of the submission of the report, and the relationships between such programs, projects, and activities and the objectives of the strategy. Any gaps, inefficiencies, or unmet needs identified in the course of preparing the summary described in paragraph (3). Qualitative and quantitative goals and metrics for the implementation of the strategy, including criteria to be used in monitoring and evaluating progress toward the objectives of the strategy. Recommendations relating to programmatic or appropriations measures that could potentially enhance the implementation of the strategy, including legislative or executive policy changes for such enhanced implementation. Not later than 10 years after the date of the submission of the initial report required by subsection (b), the President shall submit to the relevant congressional committees a report that assesses progress over the preceding decade of the strategy. Such report shall also include each of the following: An assessment of the progress made in the implementation of the roadmap over the preceding decade with respect to each of the goals described in subsection (a)(1), including with respect to the qualitative and quantitative goals and metrics included in the initial report pursuant to subsection (b)(5) and using the criteria described in such subsection (b)(5). An assessment of the successes, challenges, and effectiveness of the strategy and its implementation. Recommended legislative or executive policy changes relevant to addressing any gaps, policy or program shortcomings, or other outstanding challenges relating to the goals of the strategy, along with descriptions of prospective follow-up activities necessary to address such challenges. Recommendations relating to fostering further synergies between implementation of activities, as relevant and appropriate, relating to the African Growth and Opportunity Act ( 19 U.S.C. 3701 et seq. ), the AfCFTA, and any other Africa-related United States trade policy initiatives, including types of activities and expected outcomes based on the implementation of the roadmap. A detailed description of the expenditure of all amounts authorized to implement the roadmap throughout the 10-year period, including amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization under section 5(b), disaggregated by fiscal year, account, and activity. Each report required by this section shall be submitted in unclassified form and may include a classified annex. The unclassified portion of each such report shall be posted on publicly available websites of the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
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Sec. 4
United States roadmap to promote the African Continental Free Trade Area
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