I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1777 
To create jobs in the United States by increasing United States exports 
to Africa by at least 200 percent in real dollar value within 10 years, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 26, 2013 
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. RUSH, and Ms. BASS) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Small 
Business, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To create jobs in the United States by increasing United 
States exports to Africa by at least 200 percent in real 
dollar value within 10 years, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Increasing American 
Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2013’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) Export growth helps United States busi-
nesses grow and create American jobs. In 2011, 
United States exports supported 9,700,000 jobs and 
97.8 percent of United States exports came from 
small- and medium-sized businesses in 2010. 
(2) The more than 20 Federal agencies that are 
involved in export promotion and financing are not 
sufficiently coordinated to adequately expand United 
States commercial exports to Africa. 
(3) The President has taken steps to improve 
how the United States Government supports Amer-
ican businesses by mandating an executive review 
across agencies and a new Doing Business in Africa 
initiative, but a substantially greater high-level focus 
on Africa is needed. 
(4) Many other countries have trade promotion 
programs that aggressively compete against United 
States exports in Africa and around the world. For 
example, in 2010, medium- and long-term official ex-
port credit general volumes from the Group of 7 
countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, 
the United Kingdom, and the United States) totaled 
$65,400,000,000. Germany provided the largest level 
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of support at $22,500,000,000, followed by France 
at $17,400,000,000 and the United States at 
$13,000,000,000. Official export credit support by 
emerging market economies such as Brazil, China, 
and India are significant as well. 
(5) Between 2008 and 2010, China alone pro-
vided more than $110,000,000,000 in loans to the 
developing world, and, in 2009, China surpassed the 
United States as the leading trade partner of Afri-
can countries. In the last 10 years, African trade 
with China has increased from $11,000,000,000 to 
$166,000,000,000. 
(6) The Export-Import Bank of the United 
States substantially increased lending to United 
States 
businesses 
focused 
on 
Africa 
from 
$400,000,000 in 2009 to $1,400,000,000 in 2011, 
but the Export-Import Bank of China dwarfed this 
effort with an estimated $12,000,000,000 worth of 
financing. Overall, China is outpacing the United 
States in selling goods to Africa at a rate of 3 to 
1. 
(7) Other countries such as India, Turkey, Rus-
sia, and Brazil are also aggressively seeking markets 
in Africa using their national export banks to pro-
vide concessional assistance. 
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(8) The Chinese practice of concessional financ-
ing runs contrary to the principles of the Organiza-
tion of Economic Co-operation and Development re-
lated to open market rates, undermines naturally 
competitive rates, and can allow governments in Af-
rica to overlook the troubling record on labor prac-
tices, human rights, and environmental impact. 
(9) As stated in a recent report entitled ‘‘Em-
bracing Africa’s Economic Potential’’ by Senator 
Chris Coons, ‘‘Economic growth in Africa has risen 
dramatically, but the continent’s vast economic po-
tential has not yet been fully realized by the U.S. 
Government or the American private sector.’’. 
(10) The African continent is undergoing a pe-
riod of rapid growth and middle class development, 
as seen from major indicators such as Internet use, 
clean water access, and real income growth. In the 
last decade alone, the percentage of the population 
with access to the Internet has doubled. Seventy- 
eight percent of Africa’s rural population now has 
access to clean water. Over the past 10 years, real 
income per person in Africa has grown by more than 
30 percent. 
(11) Economists have designated Africa as the 
‘‘next frontier market’’, with profitability of many 
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African firms and growth rates of African countries 
exceeding global averages in recent years. Countries 
in Africa have a collective spending power of almost 
$9,000,000,000 and a gross domestic product of 
$1,600,000,000,000, which are projected to double 
in the next 10 years. 
(12) In the past 10 years, Africa has been 
home to 6 of the 10 fastest growing economies in 
the world. Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to have 
the fastest growing economies in the world over the 
next 10 years, with 7 of the 10 fastest growing 
economies located in sub-Saharan Africa. 
(13) When countries such as China assist with 
large-scale government projects, they also gain an 
upper hand in relations with African leaders and ac-
cess to valuable commodities such as oil and copper, 
typically without regard to environmental, human 
rights, labor, or governance standards. 
(14) Unless the United States can offer com-
petitive financing for its firms in Africa, it will be 
deprived of opportunities to participate in African 
efforts to close the continent’s significant infrastruc-
ture 
gap 
that 
amounts 
to 
an 
estimated 
$100,000,000,000. 
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(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to create 
jobs in the United States by expanding programs that will 
result in increasing United States exports to Africa by 200 
percent in real dollar value within 10 years. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) AFRICA.—The term ‘‘Africa’’ refers to the 
entire continent of Africa and its 54 countries, in-
cluding the Republic of South Sudan. 
(2) AFRICAN
DIASPORA.—The term ‘‘African 
diaspora’’ means the people of African origin living 
in the United States, irrespective of their citizenship 
and nationality, who are willing to contribute to the 
development of Africa. 
(3) AGOA.—The term ‘‘AGOA’’ means the Af-
rican Growth and Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3701 
et seq.). 
(4) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Appropriations, the 
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs, the Committee on Foreign Relations, 
and the Committee on Finance of the Senate; 
and 
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(B) the Committee on Appropriations, the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Com-
mittee on Financial Services, the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Ways 
and Means of the House of Representatives. 
(5) DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES.—The term ‘‘de-
velopment agencies’’ includes the Department of 
State, the United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID), the Millennium Challenge 
Corporation (MCC), the Overseas Private Invest-
ment Corporation (OPIC), the United States Trade 
and Development Agency (USTDA), the United 
States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and rel-
evant multilateral development banks. 
(6) TRADE
POLICY
STAFF
COMMITTEE.—The 
term ‘‘Trade Policy Staff Committee’’ means the 
Trade Policy Staff Committee established pursuant 
to section 2002.2 of title 15, Code of Federal Regu-
lations, and is composed of representatives of Fed-
eral agencies in charge of developing and coordi-
nating United States positions on international trade 
and trade-related investment issues. 
(7) MULTILATERAL
DEVELOPMENT
BANKS.— 
The term ‘‘multilateral development banks’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 1701(c)(4) of the 
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