I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 656 
To advance the mutual interests of the United States and Africa with respect 
to the promotion of trade and investment and the advancement of socio-
economic development and opportunity, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 11, 2011 
Mr. RUSH (for himself, Mr. HONDA, Mr. CONYERS, and Mr. COHEN) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs 
A BILL 
To advance the mutual interests of the United States and 
Africa with respect to the promotion of trade and invest-
ment and the advancement of socioeconomic development 
and opportunity, 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 ‘‘African Investment 
and Diaspora Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DECLARATIONS OF POLICY. 
Congress makes the following declarations of policy: 
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(1) It is in the interest of the United States to 
ensure that bilateral economic ties with Africa are 
strong, robust, and diverse, in part because African 
countries possess— 
(A) great pent-up consumer demand and 
untapped human and natural resources, and 
many are now considered ‘‘next frontier’’ econo-
mies; 
(B) some of the world’s fastest growing 
economies, with a collective Gross Domestic 
Product of $1,600,000,000,000 that is pro-
jected to double in the next 10 years; 
(C) combined consumer spending power of 
almost 
$900,000,000,000, 
with 
$1,400,000,000,000 
in 
projected 
spending 
power in the next 10 years; 
(D) a 60-percent share of the world’s total 
amount of uncultivated, arable land; and 
(E) a significant percentage of the world’s 
strategic minerals and energy resources. 
(2) Africa represents a potentially profitable 
destination for United States investors. According to 
a United Nations Conference on Trade and Develop-
ment study, return on investment in African compa-
nies has averaged nearly 30 percent annually over 
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the past several years. Profitability and rates of 
growth among many African firms have exceeded 
global averages, often by large proportions. As a re-
sult, 34 private investment funds are now active in 
Africa in diverse productive sectors. A recent Global 
Competitiveness Report showed that several of Afri-
ca’s largest economies receive high grades for inno-
vation and business sophistication. 
(3) Long-term United States economic security 
interests will be better secured by ensuring United 
States access to Africa’s vast natural and human re-
sources, for which rapidly rising global demand has 
created increasing competition between industri-
alized countries and emerging market countries, 
such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and others, 
with respect to their efforts to exert political and 
economic influence in and increase their economic 
cooperation and trade with African countries. Such 
ties are growing apace; for example, the estimated 
value of Chinese imports from Africa rose by over 
693 percent between 2000 and 2009, while the value 
of its exports to the region increased by 926 percent 
during the same period, in comparison to a rise in 
United States imports from the region of just under 
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200 percent and a rise in United States exports to 
the region of 21 percent during the same period. 
(4) The United States should continue to sup-
port efforts to foster socioeconomic development and 
economic growth in Africa, including by— 
(A) pursuing efforts to increase collabora-
tion among United States Government depart-
ments and agencies in order to more closely in-
tegrate and coordinate United States programs 
and policies aimed at promoting trade and in-
vestment with Africa with those intended to ad-
vance socioeconomic development and oppor-
tunity in Africa; 
(B) fostering United States private, public- 
private partnership, and other investments in 
Africa, as well as other bilateral economic, tech-
nical, and social and cultural ties and ex-
changes, both at the official level and between 
citizens, private sector businesses, and civil soci-
ety organizations; 
(C) supporting and fostering citizen-led ef-
forts to form business, technical, academic, and 
sociocultural ties with Africans by working to 
promote the activities of citizen groups that 
seek to advance such goals among other persons 
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or organizations engaged in socioeconomic de-
velopment, business, and charitable activities in-
tended to bolster bonds between the United 
States and Africa; and 
(D) supporting the efforts of United States 
persons and groups with interests and ties to 
Africa to foster and advance such ties and, in 
particular, the interests and efforts, with re-
spect to such objectives, of members of the Af-
rican Diaspora in the United States, in recogni-
tion, among other reasons, of— 
(i) the longstanding and deep immi-
gration ties between Africa and the United 
States, including with respect to involun-
tary and other migrations of Africans to 
the Americas in the 19th and earlier cen-
turies, and to more recent migrations of 
Africans to the United States; 
(ii) efforts by the African Union to 
foster economic, technical, educational, and 
social ties between its member states and 
the global African Diaspora; 
(iii) the status of the African-Amer-
ican and broader African Diaspora commu-
nity in the United States as a large con-
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sumer and producer market and a poten-
tially significant United States counterpart 
segment for trade and investment related 
to Africa, in particular with respect to 
commerce in Afrocentric goods and serv-
ices and by small- and medium-sized enter-
prises; and 
(iv) the status of recent African immi-
grants as a growing, often economically 
well-off 
professional 
and 
educational 
human resource and a community with di-
verse ties to both American and African 
societies that is well placed to foster closer, 
mutually beneficial economic, intellectual, 
and cultural ties between the United 
States and African countries, including 
with respect to helping to reverse the so- 
called ‘‘brain drain’’ or emigration of 
skilled, educated persons from Africa, par-
ticularly in the science and technology, 
education, and health sectors—a phe-
nomenon that threatens to imperil African 
productivity, economic growth, and global 
competitiveness necessary to improve devel-
opment and human welfare in Africa and 
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undermine United States interests in hav-
ing robust and growing African countries 
with which to foster enduring economic 
and political partnerships. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are to— 
(1) advance the mutual interests of the United 
States and Africa with respect to the promotion of 
trade and investment and the advancement of socio-
economic development and opportunity, and to inte-
grate and create interagency, whole-of-government 
synergies within United States efforts to achieve 
these goals; 
(2) foster United States trade with and invest-
ment in Africa that is more sectorally diverse, of in-
creased economic value, and grounded in free market 
principles; 
(3) foster United States private, public-private 
partnership, and other investments in Africa that 
hold the potential to both generate positive economic 
effects and result in improvements in public infra-
structure, health, education, and economic competi-
tiveness, and efforts to fulfill the Millennium Devel-
opment Goals in African countries; 
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(4) deepen United States-African economic, 
technical, and social and cultural ties, in particular 
with respect to those between the peoples of Africa 
and the members of the African Diaspora in the 
United States, United States and African civil soci-
ety groups, and small- and medium-sized business 
enterprises; and 
(5) facilitate the mutual transfer and exchange 
of business, technical, and academic expertise be-
tween Africa and the United States, in particular by 
encouraging and facilitating the engagement and in-
volvement of members of the African Diaspora in 
the United States, among other United States citi-
zens with ties to or interests in Africa, in the 
achievement of such goals. 
SEC. 4. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR UNITED STATES- 
AFRICA TRADE, DEVELOPMENT, AND DIAS-
PORA AFFAIRS, AND RELATED MATTERS. 
(a) 
SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE
FOR
UNITED 
STATES-AFRICA TRADE, DEVELOPMENT, AND DIASPORA 
AFFAIRS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
the President shall appoint a Special Representative for 
United States-Africa Trade, Development, and Diaspora 
Affairs within the Department of State (in this Act re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Special Representative’’) not later than 
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180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. The 
Special Representative should be a person of distinction, 
culturally sensitive to the underserved African Diaspora 
in the United States, with substantial experience in mat-
ters of trade or economic development and in matters re-
lating to African Diaspora relations with Africa. 
(b) OFFICE OF UNITED STATES-AFRICA TRADE, DE-
VELOPMENT, AND DIASPORA AFFAIRS.—Not later than 
180 days after the date of the appointment of the Special 
Representative pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary 
of State shall establish, within the Department of State, 
the Office of United States-Africa Trade, Development, 
and Diaspora Affairs (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Of-
fice’’). The Special Representative shall serve as the head 
of the Office, and shall guide and direct the work of Office 
staff. 
(c) REGIONAL CENTERS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the establishment of the Office pur-
suant to subsection (b), the Special Representative 
shall establish 5 regional United States-Africa 
Trade, Development, and Diaspora Affairs public 
outreach, education, and liaison centers (in this Act 
referred to as ‘‘centers’’), in a manner to be deter-
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mined by the Secretary of State and in accordance 
with the requirements described in paragraph (2). 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The requirements re-
ferred to in paragraph (1) are the following: 
(A) A center shall be established in each of 
the Northeastern, Southern, Plains and Mid-
western, Western, and Northwestern regions of 
the continental United States in order to serve 
the population of each such region. 
(B) Each center shall serve a population 
that is roughly equal in number to the popu-
lation served by each of the other centers. 
(C) Each center shall be located in the city 
within each region that has the highest number 
of members of the African Diaspora in the re-
gion. 
(D) The territory for which the Western 
center has responsibility shall include Hawaii 
and the territory for which the Northwestern 
center has responsibility shall include Alaska. 
(d) DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND FUNCTIONS.— 
The Special Representative and the Office shall promote 
United States-African trade and investment relations and 
foster socioeconomic development and economic growth, 
by— 
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(1) coordinating and convening a permanent 
interagency United States-Africa Trade and Devel-
opment Consultative Action Group (in this Act re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Group’’), which shall include rep-
resentatives from— 
(A) the Office of the United States Trade 
Representative; 
(B) the Trade and Development Agency; 
(C) the Overseas Private Investment Cor-
poration; 
(D) the Export-Import Bank of the United 
States; 
(E) the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development; 
(F) the Millennium Challenge Corporation; 
(G) the Department of Agriculture; 
(H) the Department of Commerce; 
(I) the Department of Energy; 
(J) the Small Business Administration; 
(K) the Department of Defense; 
(L) other Federal departments and agen-
cies, to be determined by the Special Represent-
ative, in consultation with members of the 
Group described in subparagraphs (A) through 
(K), on a temporary, permanent, or project-lim-
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ited basis, based on the technical, pro-
grammatic, fiscal, legal, or other needs or objec-
tives of the Group and its activities; and 
(M) within the context of applied projects 
undertaken by Group ad hoc project commit-
tees, as described in subsection (e), State and 
local governments, nongovernmental organiza-
tions, public-private partnership entities, private 
businesses, and private foundations; 
(2) designing and implementing public out-
reach, education, and liaison programs and activities 
intended to foster United States-African economic, 
technical, social, and cultural ties, in particular with 
respect to— 
(A) building and enhancing relationships 
between the peoples of Africa and the African 
Diaspora, United States and African civil soci-
ety groups, and small- and medium-sized busi-
ness enterprises in the United States and Afri-
ca; and 
(B) increasing the participation of mem-
bers of the African Diaspora and other minority 
groups in the United States in United States 
trade, investment, and development assistance 
programs relating to Africa; 
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(3) facilitating and increasing the number of 
international learning exchange, professional, train-
ing, and educational programs between Africa and 
the United States, in particular programs intended 
to promote trade, economic growth, or socioeconomic 
development, including through coordination with 
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and 
the Special Representative for Global Intergovern-
mental Affairs of the Department of State; 
(4) establishing a publicly accessible database 
and information exchange mechanism through which 
United States and African business, technical, and 
academic experts, associations, and other institutions 
and organizations can establish and expand profes-
sional ties, network, and undertake mutual ex-
changes of knowledge and expertise related to busi-
ness and economic development and, in particular, 
provide means for members of the African Diaspora 
in the United States to transfer information, skills, 
and expertise to their counterparts in Africa or to 
help build the technical and professional capacities 
of African economic and development institutions; 
and 
(5) liaising and consulting with African govern-
ments, the African Union, African intergovernmental 
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subregional organizations, public-private partnership 
entities, private businesses, nongovernmental organi-
zations, private foundations, and United Nations 
agencies with respect to matters of Africa-related 
trade, economic development, and African-African 
Diaspora relations, in order to determine— 
(A) African trade and economic develop-
ment priorities; 
(B) the nature and scope of investments 
being made by African governments, private 
sector actors, and other international donors; 
and 
(C) strategies for effectively channeling 
and leveraging United States trade promotion, 
capacity-building, and development resources 
and coordinating such resources with invest-
ments from other sources. 
(e) OTHER MATTERS RELATING TO DUTIES, RE-
SPONSIBILITIES, AND FUNCTIONS.— 
(1) OF THE GROUP.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding their 
individual agency mandates and activities, 
members of the Group shall design and propose 
integrated, whole-of-government approaches for 
achieving United States Government trade and 
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development policy and program objectives as 
they relate to Africa, and agency members of 
the Group shall collaboratively design and im-
plement specific applied projects and programs 
to achieve these objectives in practice, on an 
interagency basis, wherever fiscally, technically, 
programmatically, or legally advantageous, fea-
sible, and permissible. 
(B) AD
HOC
PROJECT-RELATED
GROUP 
COMMITTEES.—The Special Representative may 
coordinate and convene, as necessary, ad hoc 
project-related Group committees, made up of 2 
or more members of the Group, to define and 
guide the execution of interagency projects un-
dertaken by members of an ad hoc project-re-
lated Group committee. 
(C) MEETINGS.—The Group shall meet in 
plenary on a quarterly basis, at a minimum, or 
more frequently, as necessary, and at the ad 
hoc project-related Group committee level, as 
frequently as necessary. 
(D) REPORTS.—Members of the Group 
shall regularly provide the Special Representa-
tive detailed information, data, reports, and 
other material pertaining to current or prospec-
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tive projects related to their agency or depart-
ment trade and development initiatives in Afri-
ca, and the Office shall make these reports 
available to all members of the Group and to 
Congress in a centrally, Internet-accessible dig-
ital database repository. 
(2) OF THE OFFICE.—The Office shall review 
the information, data, reports, and other material 
submitted by members of the Group, and shall pro-
pose to members of the Group, where fiscally, tech-
nically, programmatically, or legally advantageous, 
feasible, and permissible, ways of integrating, link-
ing, or leveraging Group member agency investments 
and projects that incorporate shared or similar ob-
jectives and, in particular, projects that simulta-
neously foster trade or economic growth, and socio-
economic development. 
(3) OF THE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE.—The 
Special Representative may request and shall receive 
in a timely manner any documents or data, whether 
in an electronic, paper, or other format, from any 
member of the Group pertaining to any Africa-re-
lated trade or development-related project with 
which the member is involved or is funding or facili-
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tating, with the exception of contractually or 
proprietorialy protected documents. 
(4) OF REGIONAL CENTERS.—The activities of 
regional centers shall support all duties, responsibil-
ities, and functions of the Special Representative 
and of the Office, but shall principally focus on the 
objectives set out in paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) of 
subsection (d). 
(f) STAFF.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Special Representative 
shall, from among individuals described in para-
graph (2), hire staff as appropriate to carry out this 
section. 
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—Individuals described in 
this paragraph are individuals who— 
(A) are United States citizens; 
(B) have a strong knowledge of Africa; 
(C) have a strong knowledge of United 
States-African relations; and 
(D) are fluent in English and are pro-
ficient or fluent in one of the national non-
indigenous official languages spoken in Africa, 
including Spanish, French, or Portuguese, or 
one or more indigenous official languages. 
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