President's Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa

President's Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa
Name	President's Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa
Formed	2014
Dissolved	2019
Jurisdiction	United States
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Parent agency	White House
Chair	Donald Trump (established under Barack Obama administration; later reconstituted)
Type	Advisory body

President's Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa

The President's Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa was a United States federal advisory body created to strengthen commercial ties between the United States and countries across Africa. It convened private sector leaders, diplomats, and experts to advise the President of the United States and executive branch agencies such as the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Commerce, and United States Agency for International Development on trade, investment, and regulatory barriers affecting U.S.–Africa engagement. The council operated amid overlapping initiatives like the African Growth and Opportunity Act, Power Africa, and the U.S.–Africa Leaders Summit.

Background and Establishment

The council traces conceptual origins to policy debates during the administrations of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama about commercial diplomacy, trade liberalization, and strategic competition with actors such as China and European Union. It was formally launched following commitments made at bilateral and multilateral forums including the U.S.–Africa Leaders Summit (2014), the African Union Summit, and meetings with heads of state from Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Ghana. Influences included earlier instruments such as Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and multilateral frameworks like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund liberalization agendas. Legislative and executive frameworks informing its creation included precedents from the Export-Import Bank of the United States debates and congressional oversight from the U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives committees on foreign affairs.

Membership and Leadership

Membership comprised chief executives, board chairs, and senior partners from multinational firms, private equity houses, and trade associations, drawn from corporations like Coca-Cola Company, General Electric, Mastercard, Chevron Corporation, and Boeing. Private sector members included executives with ties to BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Google, PepsiCo, Pfizer, and McKinsey & Company, alongside leaders from regional firms in South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya. Public-sector ex officio participants included representatives from U.S. Trade Representative, Department of the Treasury, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Leadership roles rotated; the council chair and vice-chairs were appointed by the President of the United States with input from the National Security Council and White House Chief of Staff. Notable appointees and attendees have included senior figures from Blackstone, Caterpillar Inc., Citigroup, Visa Inc., Ernst & Young, and philanthropic institutions such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mandate and Objectives

The council's mandate encompassed advising on barriers to U.S. investment, recommending regulatory reforms, and facilitating private-public partnerships in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, and financial services. It aimed to complement frameworks like African Continental Free Trade Area discussions, support implementation of African Growth and Opportunity Act, and coordinate with initiatives including Power Africa, Feed the Future, and regional development banks such as the African Development Bank. Objectives emphasized reducing transactional frictions with respect to legal frameworks influenced by instruments like the World Trade Organization agreements, enhancing access to capital through entities such as the International Finance Corporation, and promoting standards aligned with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guidance and United Nations sustainable development goals.

Activities and Initiatives

The council organized roundtables, sectoral working groups, and mission-driven delegations to capitals including Accra, Lagos, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Cairo, and Johannesburg. It produced action plans on priority sectors—power projects linked to Hydropower and solar photovoltaic investments, transport corridors connected to initiatives like the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor, and digital infrastructure tied to investments by IBM, Intel, and Cisco Systems. The council collaborated with multilateral lenders such as the World Bank Group and private financiers like KKR and TPG Capital to explore blended finance structures. It engaged with regulatory institutions including Central Bank of Nigeria, South African Reserve Bank, and Bank of Ghana on enabling cross-border payment systems referencing networks like SWIFT and payment firms including Mastercard and Visa.

Policy Recommendations and Impact

Recommendations emphasized investment insurance, tariff rationalization, streamlined visa processes for business travelers, and reforms in public procurement to increase transparency using models from United Kingdom and Canada. The council advocated expansion of U.S. export credit via the Export–Import Bank of the United States, improved bilateral investment treaties, and technical assistance through United States Agency for International Development partnerships. Its policy proposals influenced bilateral dialogues with governments such as Rwanda, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Mozambique and informed multilateral discussions at the G20 and United Nations General Assembly side events. Some initiatives catalyzed private investments in renewable projects, telecoms spectrum allocations, and public-private partnerships involving construction firms like Bechtel and Vinci.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critiques arose from civil society, labor organizations like AFL–CIO, and development scholars at institutions such as Harvard University and London School of Economics who argued the council favored corporate interests over local development, potentially exacerbating inequality in countries like South Africa and Nigeria. Critics highlighted conflicts of interest given overlapping board memberships of members in extractive industries operating in regions like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. Environmental groups such as Greenpeace and Sierra Club raised concerns about endorsements of fossil-fuel projects, while human rights NGOs including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International questioned labor and governance conditionality in deals. Congressional oversight hearings featured testimony referencing transparency standards from Transparency International and allegations of insufficient engagement with small and medium-sized enterprises and diaspora entrepreneurs.

Legacy and Influence on U.S.–Africa Relations

Although the council was disbanded after several years, its legacy persists in enhanced private-sector engagement, capacity-building programs, and continued dialogues involving institutions like the African Union Commission, Economic Community of West African States, East African Community, and Southern African Development Community. Its model informed successor efforts within the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and influenced corporate strategies of multinationals expanding in Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. The council's work contributed to shaping bilateral investment agreements, trade facilitation measures, and cross-border infrastructure projects, leaving an imprint on contemporary U.S.–Africa commercial diplomacy alongside enduring initiatives such as Prosper Africa.

Category:United States–Africa relations