The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa Ramsey Day delivered opening remarks at the Africa Investment Forum (AIF) November 7, 2018 Investing in Commodities Exchanges panel in Johannesburg, South Africa. The panel sought to increase the understanding of the benefits of regional commodity exchanges and to generate broad international support to finance a more transparent commodities exchange system across Africa. The Commodities Exchanges panel was organized by the African Investment Bank in collaboration with the USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub.
 
USAID Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa Ramsey Day described the multilateral panel discussion as a noteworthy example of the U.S. Government and international financial institutions acting as catalysts, partnering with leading private sector companies to deliver demand-driven interventions.
 
Day also visited the Johannesburg Stock Exchange to witness the launch of an electronic commodity trading portal that enables the exchange of commodities, payment and trade finance instruments. The portal, developed in cooperation with the USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub, interlinks markets in 15 African jurisdictions in Southern, West and East Africa.
 
USAID supports three regional trade hubs in East West and Southern Africa to complement diverse U.S. Government efforts to support U.S. and regional businesses and investors to seize growth opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa’s rapidly expanding economies.

Issued by The USAID