Third AGOA Civil Society Network Session
of the
Fourth US-Sub Saharan Africa
Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum

AGOA: Empowering Civil Society Organizations to Build Economic Prosperity

July 18 -20, 2005
Dakar, Senegal

PLEASE NOTE THAT MORE PRESENTATIONS WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSTED

Monday, July 18th

9:45 am - 11:00 am Joint Opening Ceremony

• Remarks by US Secretary of Agriculture Honorable Mike Johanns

11:15 am – 12:15 pm Plenary Session - The Role of Civil Society in Monitoring Compliance with AGOA Eligibility Criteria to Ensure Poverty Reduction

This session will discuss the AGOA eligibility criteria, and the role that CSO’s can play in facilitating compliance by countries. The session will focus on how civil society organizations can work with government and private sector to avoid the pitfalls of non compliance. Presenters will focus on the steps that can be taken when a country is faced with compliance issues to remedy the problems, specific examples of countries that have faced compliance issues will be discussed as well as strategies and approaches taken to remedy those situations.

Welcome Remarks:

Mr. Fred O. Oladeinde, Coordinator AGOA Civil Society Network Secretariat/President The Foundation for Democracy in Africa, USA.
Prof. Oumar Makalou, Chair, AGOA Civil Society Network/ President CERDES, Mali.
Prof. Babacar Diop, President CONGAD, Senegal.

Keynote Speaker: H.E. Madam Bassine Niang, Ministre Haut Commissaire aux Droits de l’ Homme et a al Promotion de la Paix, Republic of Senegal.

Panelist:

The Honorable Connie Hamilton, Deputy Assistant, US Trade Representative for Africa.
Madam Vore Gana Seck, Vice President CONGAD

12:30 pm -1:30 pm Lunch Address - “Empowering Civil Society Organizations to Build Economic Prosperity”

Dr. Cindy L. Courville, Senior Adviser to the President, NSC, and Senior Director for African Affairs

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm CSO Workshop I - Designing Standardized Tool Kits to Measure Compliance and Maintain AGOA Eligibility

The AGOA Civil Society Network is working to establish a set of objective economic criteria that can be utilized to analyze and grade AGOA-eligible countries for the publication of an annual African index of Economic and Political Prosperity. The African Index of Economic and Political Prosperity will assess how well the 37 AGOA-eligible countries rate on a list of variables as required under the AGOA legislation including:
• The establishment of, or continual progress towards the creation of a market- based economy
• Removal of barriers to trade and investment
• Establishment of rule of law
• Efforts to combat corruption
• Protection of intellectual property rights and internationally recognized worker rights and;
• Enactment of policies to reduce poverty

Outcomes:
Immediate:
Bring African civil society organizations together to better understand AGOA and work collectively on developing an index, through the coordination of the AGOA Civil Society Secretariat.
Long Term:
Develop African civil society capacity to produce the AFRICA INDEX OF ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PROSPERITY, a report that measures the state of political, economic and social development in countries in Africa and can be used as a tool by development partners and other donors.

Opening Remarks:

The Honorable Robert P. Jackson, Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy, Dakar, Senegal
H.E. Cheikh Gadio, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Senegal
The Honorable Pape Diop, Mayor, of Dakar

Keynote:
Prof. Oumar Makalou, President CEDRES and Chair, AGOA Civil Society Network

Moderator:
Fred O. Oladeinde, President, Coordinator AGOA Civil Society Network/The Foundation for Democracy in Africa

Panelists:
Mr. Leon Louw, President Free Market Foundation, South Africa
Mr. Amacodou Diouf, Vice President CONGAD, Senegal
Mme Marie Thereze Diedhou,* Director PME, Senegal
Taofik Ben Abdallah, Tunisie
Mouhamed Lamine N’diaye, OXFAM International, Senegal

5: 15 pm -6:30 pm CSO Workshop II -Micro Finance in Promoting Export and Entrepreneurship

Making Micro-Financing available to micro-enterprises in Sub-Sahara Africa makes good economic sense. Non-collateralized lending to individuals based on their business idea has its roots and a track record of success in Bangladesh. Micro lending is a 2.5 billion dollar industry in which access to non-collateralized loans by micro enterprises has grown significantly across the world. Interestingly, more than seventy-five (75%) percent of these loans are made to women entrepreneurs.

Opening Remarks:

H.E. Madam Maimouna Sourang Ndir, Minister of Entrepreneral for Women, and Micro Finance, Republic of Senegal
The Honorable Allegra McCullough, Assistant Deputy Administrator, United States Small Business Administration, Office of International Trade

Moderator:
"Microfinance in Promoting Exports and Entrepreneurship", Vivian Henrietta Mateko Attah, Acting Director, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Ghana. (PowerPoint Presentation, 2478k bytes)

Panelists:
Ms. Zowa Florence Mabuza, Strategic Planning Manager, Enterprise Trust Fund, Swaziland
Mr. Dawodu Ndaiye, Senegal
Madam. Suykena BA, President, FDEA, Senegal

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Reception Hosted by the Government of Senegal

Tuesday, July 19th

President George W. Bush's Video Address (transcript)

9:00am – 9:45am Workshop Hosted by Education Africa USA - The Role of Education to Empower Africa’s Youth and Reverse the Brain-Drain

10:00 am - 11:30 am Plenary Session II - Agriculture, Health and Education on Sectorial Policies and AGOA

Keynote:
H.E. Mr. Moustapha Sourang,* Minister of Education, Republic of Senegal

Moderator:
Madicke Niang, Commission Agricole, CONGAD, Senegal.

Panelists:
Dr. Patrick Wilson, Vice President, Blacks in Government, USA
Mr. Babacar Ndao, FONGS, Senegal.
Dr. John Kabayo, Coordinator PATTEC, African Union, Ethiopia.
Falou Diagne, Commission Agricole, CONGAD, Senegal.l
Mamadou Ouloguem, I.E.R., Mali.

11:45 am -1:00 pm Plenary Session III - MCC's Consultative Process and Lessons Learned: Building Partnerships for Poverty Reduction through Sustainable Economic Growth in Africa

Keynote:
Hon. Paul Applegarth, CEO, Millennium Challenge Corporation

Objectives: Provide overview of MCC principles and selection process
Discuss generic timeline of how a country goes from eligible
selection to compact
Discuss lessons learned from past 17 months of operations, including
importance of consultative process that is continuous, meaningful, timely
and participatory

Panelists:
Ms. Maureen Harrington, Managing Director - Africa, MCC
Mr. Antero Barbosa MCA National Coordinator - Cape Verde
Mr. Elisio Rodrigues, Board of NGO Association - Cape Verde

Objective: To discuss the role of the consultative process, including civil society and
private sector’s roles, in identifying country needs, planning and designing
a successful compact proposal, defining expected outcomes in poverty
reduction through economic growth, and engaging throughout implementation

Moderator:
Ms. Sherri Kraham, Director, Development Policy, MCC

Questions & Answers: “Civil Society” participation

1:10 pm - 2:00 pm Luncheon Address - “Government and Civil Society: Working to Build Economic and Political Prosperity”

Luncheon Speaker: H.E. Dr. Cheikh Ghadio,* Foreign Minister, Republic of Senegal

2:15 pm - 4:00 pm Plenary Session IV - DOHA Negotiations: NGO’s Point of View

Keynote :Madam Aminata Tall, Senior Minister and Minister of Local Collectivity, Republic of Senegal

Moderator: Taofik Ben Abdalah

Panelists:
Prof. Oumar Makalou, Chair AGOA Civil Society Network and President CERDES, Mali
Mr. Mouhamed Lamine Ndaiye, OXFAM International, Senegal.

4:15 pm – 5: 00 pm Plenary Session V - Agreement on Textile and Clothing

The objective of this session is to do the following:
• Discuss the WTO Agreement on Textile and Clothing, which removed all existing quotas on textiles and clothing entering the U.S., Japan and the E.U.
• Discuss the impact on sub-Saharan African countries that have made gains in the apparel sector under AGOA
• Discuss strategies by which the apparel sector can remain profitable for countries
• Discuss pursuing regional trade as a way for countries to gain returns on their investment in textiles
• Emphasize that AGOA is not limited to textiles and apparel and discuss agriculture as the new frontier

Keynote:
H.E. Mr. Mamadou Diop Decroix, Minister of Trade, Republic of Senegal

Panelists:
H.E. Barbara Masekela, Ambassador of South Africa to the USA
Mr. Binate, Director Commercial, Sotiba Senegal
Mr. Robert Nicolas, AME/SADA, Washington DC, USA
Representative of the Ambassador of Lesotho to the USA*

5:15 pm - 6:45 pm ECOTOURISM-Economy Building, Job Creation and Environmental Protection
Sub-Saharan Africa contains one of the most remarkable natural ecosystem that cannot be found anywhere in the world. It ranks third in the world for biological diversity with more than 20,000 plant species and several undiscovered animal species. These natural endowments must be utilized simultaneously as tools for creating jobs and maintaining a balance with our natural environment – avoiding environmental abuse.

Keynote: Abdoulaye Njame, CONGAD

Moderator: Anthony D Okonmah, Executive Director, FDA

Panelists:
Mr. Ram Sambung Nookadee, MACOSS, Mauritius
Mr. Diame, WAAME, Senegal
Madam Vore Gana Seck Vice President CONGAD

Digital Video Conference (Hosted by USAID)

Moderators:
DAKAR
Fred Oladeinde, Coordinator, AGOA Civil Society Network/President, The Foundation for Democracy in Africa.

WASHINGTON, D.C.
"AGOA AND PERSPECTIVES FOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT" - Dr. Hypolite Fofack

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
MR. Agrippa EZOZO

7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Reception Hosted by the Government of the USA

8:30 pm - 11:30 pm Civil Society Gala and Awards Ceremony

Remarks by Her Excellency Viviane Wade, First Lady, Republic of Senegal

Music by Babamal

Wednesday, July 20th

Drafting Committee
Chair: Mijiane Diouf
Mr. Mustafa Tourel
Mr. Abubackar Seck

RAPPORTUERS:

Day One: Mr. Yusuf Keita

Day Two: Mr. Ibrahim Lo
Madam Abi Sall Mr. Abubakar Jallo
Madam: Kadi Bo Jao

Day Three:
Mamadou Lamine Thiam
Mr. Fall
Ms. Awa Kilibali

10:30 am -11:15 am - Civil Society and Private Sector Recommendations
Mr. Fred O. Oladeinde, Coordinator, AGOA Civil Society Network Secretariat
Prof. Oumar Makalou, Chair AGOA Civil Society Network
Prof. Babacar Diop, President CONGAD

11:45am -12:30 pm Closing Ceremony

• Remarks by Condoleeza Rice, US Secretary of State