POUPANÇA NO MINUTO
CLASSIFICADOS AUTO
US Export-Import Bank has no strategy for Africa
The U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) lacks a clear strategy for Africa and the trade it is supposed to support is declining, a U.S. government watchdog audit says.
© Shutterstock
Economia Exportações
The U.S. agency tasked with supporting American jobs by facilitating the sale of goods and services abroad “failed to make meaningful progress” in sub-Saharan Africa, the agency’s inspector general for audits and evaluations wrote in a report, according to the financial news outlet Bloomberg.
The report also found that there was no office or department responsible for overseeing strategy in the region, which includes Portuguese-speaking African countries, and that the bank’s programs had little to no impact on jobs.
The assessment of the Export-Import Bank’s performance, which has operated in sub-Saharan Africa since the 1940s, comes as U.S. President Joe Biden has stepped up efforts to engage with the continent amid competition with China for critical minerals needed to transition to cleaner energy sources.
In response to the findings, the bank said it has “the largest credit exposure in [Africa] of any region” and that the review “omitted critical elements that would have altered the conclusions.”
Since 2022, the agency’s president and chairwoman, Reta Jo Lewis, has traveled to Africa eight times, meeting with more than 60 heads of state and government officials, the Ex-Im said, adding: “The report does not provide a comprehensive view of our efforts in the region.”
The period covered by the report is 2013 to 2023, but for four of those years, Ex-Im was unable to authorize any financing because it lacked a quorum on its board, and authorizations for loans and guarantees have remained below 2014 levels except for Mozambique and Angola, the report says.
In 2019, the bank authorized a $5 billion loan for a natural gas project in northern Mozambique led by TotalEnergies, and it approved a $907 million loan for solar panels in Angola last year.
Ex-Im is also among the financial institutions involved in the Lobito Corridor project, a coast-to-coast link connecting Zambia to the port of Lobito.
As of 2020, the U.S. was sub-Saharan Africa’s fourth-largest trading partner, behind China, India and the United Arab Emirates, Bloomberg said.
Read Also: Russia suspends ban on gasoline exports until June 30 (Portuguese version)
Descarregue a nossa App gratuita.
Oitavo ano consecutivo Escolha do Consumidor para Imprensa Online e eleito o produto do ano 2024.
* Estudo da e Netsonda, nov. e dez. 2023 produtodoano- pt.com
Recomendados para si
Classificados Auto
Leia Também
Últimas Notícias
Mais lidas
- Última hora
- Dia
- Semana
-
1
economia Vindimas
Vinificou uvas que não conseguiu vender e alterou estratégia de negócio
-
2
economia Mercadona
Mercadona abre hoje terceira loja em Gaia (e criou 75 postos de trabalho)
-
3
economia Taxas de juro
BCE desce taxas de juro pela 3.ª vez, mas inflação "deve aumentar"
-
4
-
5
economia IRS Jovem
Existe risco da poupança com IRS Jovem ser 'descontada' em novos salários
-
6
economia Porta 65
Reclamações sobre o Porta 65 voltam a disparar. São mais 80% este ano
-
7
economia Segurança
NISS? Segurança Social alerta para sites "que alegam prestar serviços"
-
8
economia cabaz alimentar
Cêntimo a cêntimo, esvazia o consumidor a carteira: Cabaz alimentar sobe
-
9
economia Euribor
Euribor sobe a três meses e cai a seis meses para novo mínimo
-
10
economia IRS Jovem
Em Bruxelas, há quem pareça "querer seguir" IRS Jovem. "Fico agradado"
