Strengthening commercial diplomacy in Africa

(a) Statement of policy It is the policy of the United States to promote, facilitate, and increase two-way trade and investment between the United States and African countries to strengthen commercial ties, promote economic growth and job creation, and advance strategic partnerships. (b) Strengthening commercial diplomacy in Africa initiative (1) Establishment The Secretary shall establish an initiative to be known as the Strengthening Commercial Diplomacy in Africa Initiative (in this section referred to as the Initiative). (2) Purposes The purposes of the Initiative shall be to prioritize and coordinate United States Government programs, activities, and diplomatic efforts aimed at increasing two-way trade and investment between the United States and Africa, including to— (A) identify, promote, and increase trade and investment opportunities, facilitate business and investor engagement, and support dissemination of data and market information to better inform United States businesses and investors of trade and investment opportunities across Africa; (B) support efforts of the United States and African private sectors to access, navigate, deepen, and compete in African and global capital markets using a private sector-led and sector-specific approach that includes energy, critical minerals, agriculture, information and communications technology, healthcare, financial services, arts and entertainment, and infrastructure; (C) modernize, streamline, and improve access to resources and services designed to promote increased trade and investment opportunities for United States and African businesses and investors; (D) promote economic growth and job creation in the United States and Africa, while advancing strategic partnerships; and (E) identify policy, regulatory, and legal reforms needed to reduce trade and investment barriers between the United States and Africa and improve the business and investment climate in the United States and Africa, including through the reduction of the cost of accessing capital. (c) Leadership The Initiative shall be led by a Deputy Assistant Secretary within the Bureau of African Affairs of the Department. (d) Coordination The leadership established pursuant to subsection (c) shall be responsible for the management, coordination, and information sharing functions of the Initiative and other duties that support the purposes of the Initiative as appropriate. This shall include— (1) convening relevant Federal departments and agencies to coordinate programs, assistance, communications, and stakeholder engagement, and consulting with such departments and agencies on the appropriate levels and allocation of resources in support of achieving the strategic objectives of the Initiative; (2) planning and implementing information sharing and other collaboration efforts among relevant Federal departments and agencies, and the private sector as appropriate, related to trade and investment opportunities, African capital markets, and relevant transactions in Africa and support for monitoring, evaluation, and transaction facilitation; (3) engaging with United States and African private sector partners, civil society organizations, nongovernmental organizations and the African diaspora community, as appropriate, to solicit input and feedback on the Initiative’s activities, as well as any technical, policy, financial, and political obstacles private sector partners encounter in accessing or expanding in African markets or gaining access to capital for those purposes; and (4) establishing measurable goals and objectives for the purposes of carrying out the Initiative. (e) Leadership committee (1) In general The Secretary shall work to establish an interagency leadership committee (in this subsection referred to as the committee) to provide strategic guidance for administering the objectives of the Initiative and serve as the United States interagency strategic development and coordination body for efforts of relevant Federal departments and agencies. (2) Membership The committee shall include representatives from relevant Federal departments and agencies, as determined appropriate by the President. (3) Chairperson The leadership established in subsection (c) shall serve as chairperson of the committee. (4) Meetings The committee shall meet not less than four times each year at the call of the chairperson. (f) Staffing and field presence Subject to the availability of appropriations— (1) the Initiative shall be supported by at least 6 full-time employees of the Federal Government, which should include personnel detailed to the Initiative from relevant Federal departments and agencies, who are stationed in Africa and whose sole duties are to support the purposes of— (A) the Initiative; or (B) the provisions of the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act of 2018 (Public Law 116–283) with respect to Africa and in compliance with the requirements of the Championing American Business Through Diplomacy Act of 2019 (Public Law 116–94; 22 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.); and (2) relevant Federal departments and agencies should detail personnel to the leadership in the United States. (g) Deal teams (1) In general The Initiative shall be supported by designated embassy staff holding positions related to United States commercial and economic interests at United States embassies located in Africa, to the extent practicable. Such designated embassy staff at a United States embassy located in Africa shall be referred to as a deal team for purposes of this subsection. (2) Duties Each deal team shall prioritize efforts to identify commercial opportunities, advocate for improvements in the business and investment climate, engage and consult with private sector partners, and report on such activities, in compliance with the applicable requirements of the Championing American Business Through Diplomacy Act of 2019 (Public Law 116–94; 22 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.). (3) Role of ambassador The United States Ambassador in countries in which a deal team is operating shall serve as the head of each deal team and, in accordance with the Championing American Business Through Diplomacy Act of 2019 (Public Law 116–94; 22 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.) shall consider closing deals for United States companies as a core responsibility of their job. (4) Measuring success The success of each deal team shall be based solely on the quantity of deals for United States companies which they secured in the previous 12 months. Members of successful deal teams shall be considered for incentives within the Department. This shall be judged in comparison to all other deal teams on the continent for quantity of deals secured in the preceding year for both dollar value and number of deals. (5) Deal team report No later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for five years, the leadership of this Initiative shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees and the Under Secretary of Management. This report shall— (A) provide a ranked list of the performance of each deal team in the last 12 months that shall be judged quantitively on the number of deals secured, the total dollar value of deals secured, and the relative increase of United States deals and investments in the country compared to the year prior; and (B) recommend to the Under Secretary for Management that the staff of the top five best performing deal teams be considered for financial or title-based rewards.