MEDIA ADVISORY | December 1 Digital Press Briefing on The U.S.-Africa Business Forum Agenda
EVENT:
Please join us on Thursday, December 1, 2022, for a digital press briefing with Arun Venkataraman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, Department of Commerce and Camille Richardson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Middle East and Africa, Department of Commerce for the U.S.-Africa Business Forum. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Corporate Council on Africa, in partnership with the Prosper Africa initiative, the Business Forum will focus on advancing two-way trade and investment partnerships that bolster Africa’s role in the global economy, scale innovation and entrepreneurship, and drive advancements in key sectors. The Deal Room, hosted by Prosper Africa, is a media room for announcements of bold, new, and expanded commitments from U.S. and African businesses, governments, and investors.
DETAILS:
Speakers: Arun Venkataraman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, Department of Commerce
Camille Richardson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Middle East and Africa, Department of Commerce for the U.S.-Africa Business Forum.
Date: Thursday, December 1, 2022
Time: 15:00 Johannesburg | 13:00 GMT | 08:00 Washington, D.C.
Language: English. French interpretation will be provided.
Ground rules: The briefing will be on the record.
Login info: To be provided upon RSVP.
Twitter: Follow the conversation at #AFHubPress for the call. Follow us on @AfricaMediaHub
Background: Please see the media note linked here.
BIOGRAPHIES:
Arun Venkataraman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service
Venkataraman has over 20 years of experience advising companies, international organizations, and the U.S. government on international trade issues. Most recently, he served as Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce, advising the Department of Commerce on trade and other international economic matters. Before joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Arun was a Senior Director at Visa, leading global government engagement strategy on a range of international policy issues including digital economy, trade, tax, and sanctions. He also served as Trade & Investment Policy Advisor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he counseled multinational firms and other organizations on e-commerce, intellectual property rights and U.S. and foreign trade policies.
Camille Richardson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Middle East and Africa, Department of Commerce
Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Camille Richardson directs the International Trade Administration’s efforts to increase U.S. market access and commercial partnerships in a region undergoing historic transformation and economic growth.
She leads a headquarters team of desk officers in Washington and a network of 18 commercial posts staffed by Foreign Service Officers and local staff across North Africa and the Levant, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Gulf. Under her leadership, this team helps American companies succeed in some of the fastest-growing and most challenging economies in the world to do business. MEA is home to about 1.4 billion people with a disproportionally high number of the population under the age of 35, making it a key region of focus for the President’s Global Infrastructure Initiative with a significant potential for growth, innovation, and partnership.
LOGISTICS:
- Participants should log in to join the conference 10 minutes early.
- Participants will be asked to type in their name, press affiliation, and location.
- The speaker will give brief opening remarks, and then the moderator will open the floor to questions.
- Participants will be instructed to type their questions or indicate to the moderator in the chat that they wish to ask a live question. Alternatively, you may submit your questions in advance either when you register on Eventbrite or by sending an e-mail to afmediahub@state.gov.
- If you experience technical difficulties during the briefing, you may send an e-mail to afmediahub@state.gov to alert the moderator to any issues.