Export-Import Bank of the United States President and Chair Reta Jo Lewis Addresses Berne Union Annual General Meeting in Rwanda
KIGALI, RWANDA – During her second stop on her trip to Africa as President and Chair of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), Reta Jo Lewis on Monday addressed the annual general meeting of the Berne Union, a meeting of global export credit agency (ECA) heads and reiterated the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to forge partnerships to create shared prosperity for Africa and the U.S through exports.
During the panel discussion, “Integration of Sub-Saharan Africa into Global Value Supply Chains,” Chair Lewis said, “As President and Chair of EXIM with a mission to support U.S. exports through our mandate on sub-Saharan Africa, we are here to find a way to get to yes through partnerships in key sectors such as renewable energy and critical minerals to provide American-made products, support Africa’s move up the value chain in driving economic growth and to create shared prosperity.”
Chair Lewis reiterated that EXIM is building on the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions and commitments to deepen our engagement and partnerships in Africa during the past year. Chair Lewis also highlighted that EXIM is back and eager to forge new alliances to advance investment opportunities between the U.S. and Africa as part of the U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa and Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.
During the conference, Chair Lewis met with the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), held numerous bilateral discussions including with Berne Union AGM host, Africa Trade Insurance CEO Manuel Moses, many private insurers, multilaterals and ECA heads and their teams, to advance critical partnerships with key players in the infrastructure, banking, technology and energy sectors.
As a member of the U.S. Delegation to the 2022 U.N. Climate Change Conference, or COP27, Chair Lewis will participate in numerous bilateral discussions in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, from Nov. 9-12.
Chair Lewis will then convene with leaders from across the African continent when President Biden hosts the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in mid-December in Washington, D.C., and when EXIM hosts its Annual Conference on Dec. 13.
ABOUT EXIM:
The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is the nation’s official export credit agency with the mission of supporting American jobs by facilitating U.S. exports. To advance American competitiveness and assist U.S. businesses as they compete for global sales, EXIM offers financing including export credit insurance, working capital guarantees, loan guarantees, and direct loans. As an independent federal agency, EXIM contributes to U.S. economic growth by supporting tens of thousands of jobs in exporting businesses and their supply chains across the United States. Since 1992, EXIM has generated more than $9 billion for the U.S. Treasury for repayment of U.S. debt. Learn more at www.exim.gov.
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