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Africa Trade Issues and the 2007 AGOA Forum

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Florizelle Liser Date: July 6, 2007 Time: 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) View Webchat Transcript

Trade facilitation will share the stage with finance, infrastructure development, product quality standards and a host of other economic issues at the Sixth African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum. The forum, which annually brings together high-level officials from the United States and representatives of the 38 AGOA-eligible countries, will take place in Accra, Ghana, July 18-19. Please join Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa Florizelle "Florie" Liser as she addresses African journalists in a USINFO webchat on trade issues ahead of the AGOA gathering.

Guest Biography:

Florizelle "Florie" Liser, the assistant U.S. trade representative for Africa, leads U.S. trade efforts in sub-Saharan Africa, oversees implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and serves as chief U.S. negotiator for a free-trade agreement with the five member countries of the Southern African Customs Union.

She previously served as assistant U.S. trade representative for industry, market access and telecommunications. In that position, she was responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. trade policy as it affects industrial and manufacturing interests – including telecommunications, electronic commerce, steel, chemicals, forest products, semiconductors, aircraft and shipbuilding, among other sectors.

Liser was a founding member and co-chair of education committee of the Washington chapter of TransAfrica Forum, a nonprofit, global justice organization focusing promoting diversity and equity in the foreign policy arena and justice for the African world. She has been actively involved for many years in promoting trade and development policies that recognize Africa's growing importance to the United States and its African-American citizens.

She holds a master’s degree in international economics from The Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies, and a bachelor’s degree in international relations and political science from Dickinson College.