Deputy Secretary Wolin to visit Cote D’ivoire, Togo, and Liberia, May 6-11, 2012

Weekly Schedule Updates

Deputy Secretary Wolin to visit Cote D’ivoire, Togo, and Liberia, May 6-11, 2012

May 3, 2012

(Archived Content)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 3, 2012

CONTACT: Kara Alaimo, (202) 622-2792

DEPUTY SECRETARY WOLIN TO VISIT COTE D’IVOIRE, TOGO, AND LIBERIA, MAY 6-11, 2012

Visit will Highlight Importance of Infrastructure Investment, Private Sector Development, and Food Security

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced today that Deputy Secretary Neal S. Wolin will travel to Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, and Liberia on May 6-11, 2012. The Deputy Secretary will engage with African governments and multilateral institutions on key issues of regional importance, including investments in infrastructure, private sector development, and food security.

On Monday, May 7 and Tuesday, May 8, the Deputy Secretary will meet with senior government officials and representatives of multilateral institutions in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, to discuss how the country can strengthen ongoing economic reforms and return to a path of sustained economic growth. He will also visit a health clinic funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) which provides treatment to care for HIV patients and prevent the transmission of the disease.

On Wednesday, May 9 and Thursday, May 10, Deputy Secretary Wolin will meet with political and economic leaders in Lome, Togo, to discuss the country’s economic challenges and partnerships with donors and the private sector. While there, the Deputy Secretary will address the Togolese National Assembly on U.S. government and multilateral engagement to promote economic recovery in post-conflict states and the strong economic prospects for Sub-Saharan and West Africa. He will also visit agricultural cooperatives to discuss productivity gains achieved through a grant from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), a multilateral fund developed by the United States in partnership with other G-20 countries to promote food security by investing in agriculture. GAFSP grants totaling $270 million are supporting the agricultural development strategies of six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, where they are expected to improve the income and health of 3.5 million smallholder farmers and their families. In addition, the Deputy Secretary will visit infrastructure projects which have received funding from the Multilateral Development Banks, including a container terminal which serves as a transit point for regional trade.

On Thursday, May 10 and Friday, May 11, the Deputy Secretary will meet with senior government officials and representatives of international financial institutions in Monrovia, Liberia to discuss how the country can stimulate growth and improve infrastructure and government service delivery. He will also visit the Freeport of Monrovia, where a partnership between the public and private sectors is helping to revitalize operations at the port and alleviate a key constraint to Liberia’s economic growth.

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