The Foreign Service Journal, June 2023

38 JUNE 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL CIAWORLDFACTBOOK Kenya in 2020, the pandemic hit. In terms of the human toll of COVID-19, much of the continent fared better than the rest of the world, but economically it suffered like the rest. Across the continent, we saw a significant economic slowdown, businesses shuttering, and mass job losses. Tourism declined, supply chains were scrambled, and many countries had to assume heavy debt. Amid the pandemic, leadership changes in the U.S. blew us further off course.  After the pandemic, African economies reawakened, buoyed by the promises of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The U.S. business community has taken note of its vast potential: a colossal single market for goods and services cover- ing 54 countries with a combined GDP of $3.4 trillion. On the margins of the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Forum, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce signed a memorandum of under- standing with the AfCFTA—the only business organization in the world to do so—to ensure that the voice of American business is reflected in the final negotiated objectives. Signs of progress remain on the U.S.-Africa bilateral trade agenda as exemplified by the Biden administration’s agreement in July 2022 to continue talks with the government of Kenya via a new U.S.-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership. It would appear we have now come full circle, and U.S.-Africa business ties are poised for takeoff. Next Steps Where do we go from here? To start, we need to show up. African governments anticipate that the U.S. government will be accompanied on official visits by scores of business leaders, just as China, France, Türkiye, Japan, and the United Kingdom have done. In the first quarter of 2023, there has been a surge in high-level U.S. government officials traveling to the conti- nent. However, not a single trip has delivered on the prospect of commercial engagement with delegations in tow. Yes, business has been discussed; but as we all know, the U.S. government is outside the business of business. At the Chamber of Commerce, we have long believed that for our country to retain its global leadership position, we must priori- Africa, July 2020.