'Bush unlikely to interfere with Agoa'

19 Jan 2001 - by Staff reporter

THERE IS still no definitive - or official - word on which course new US President George Bush's administration will follow on African policy.
Despite all the words from Washington about Africa - both supportive and negative - it's only from tomorrow (January 20) that anything official will be said, according to Dick Custin, assistant information manager at the US Embassy in Pretoria.
That's when Bush is sworn in at the White House. And it could be as soon as next Monday, Custin added, when some directional indicators could be released on US-Africa affairs.
But there is still international consensus that the new president - suffering from an overall minority vote - is unlikely to be a dam-buster when it comes to policy change.
And, on African issues, Bush has a big act to follow, the President Bill Clinton administration having loudly raised Africa on America's foreign policy agenda.
Another hidden driving force in the US government's greater involvement in the continent is Africa's increasing importance as a supply of crude oil imports to the US.
About 16% of America's crude oil imports come from Africa, said Phillips.
This share will grow as production increases. Africa is fast on its way to rivalling the Gulf as a source of energy for the US.
But, Phillips added, big oil looked after itself while trade received the personal attention of Clinton.
Following his first high-profile visit to Africa in March 1998, he said, President Clinton was persuaded that something rather longer-lasting was necessary.
This led to the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
While this act was criticised as being only superficial, and with very directive conditions attached - demands for market reforms and stricter regard for human rights, for example, if you want to take advantage of AGOA - little of this criticism came from Africa itself.
And the US Information Office feels that this major trade policy move - having now been actively put in place - is unlikely to be changed in any significant way by the Bush government.