The just-concluded US Global Diversity Export Initiative (GDEI) trade mission, organised by the US Commerce Department, visited South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria. It was led by US Commerce Under Secretary for International Trade Marisa Lago, and marked her fourth official visit to Africa so far, this year – her previous visits had been to Tanzania and Zambia, in February; to Egypt, in May; and to Nigeria, also in May.

She described her latest visit to the continent as having been “highly productive”. She and the members of the mission had held discussions with both US and African private sector companies and business leaders, as well as with her counterparts in the three African governments.

“For example, in South Africa, I engaged with my government counterparts and private sector colleagues to explore potential solutions and opportunities in the infrastructure, healthcare, and [information and communications technology] sectors with a special focus on supporting women in technology fields,” she cited. “I also met with several established women business leaders to learn from their experiences, to hear about their challenges, and also the opportunities that they saw in the South African market.”

To mark South Africa’s Women’s Day national holiday, while in the country Lago visited WomHub, a pan-African incubator for women science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sector entrepreneurs. There, she held discussions with women technology startup founders about opportunities for early- and mid-stage STEM startups to advance and be able to scale up in the American market.

In all the countries that she visited with the GDEI mission, the digital economy was a subject of consistent focus. Both representatives of the private sectors and her counterparts in the governments of South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria told her directly about the challenges and opportunities in this sector.

“These conversations with our African partners already are and are going to remain critical to advancing progress under the US’s Digital Transformation with Africa, or DTA,” she highlighted. “This is an initiative that President [Joe] Biden announced at last September’s US-Africa Business Forum. DTA aims to expand digital access and literacy, and also to strengthen the digital-enabling environments across Africa, all in line with the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy and the US Strategy Towards Sub-Saharan Africa.”