Statement by the Deputy Press Secretary

Today President Bush approved the designation of the following 37 Sub-Saharan African countries as eligible for tariff preferences under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA): Angola; Benin; Botswana; Cameroon; Cape Verde; Chad; Republic of the Congo; Cote d'Ivoire; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Djibouti; Ethiopia; Gabon; The Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Lesotho; Madagascar; Malawi; Mali; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mozambique; Namibia; Niger; Nigeria; Rwanda; So Tome and Principe; Senegal; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; South Africa; Swaziland; Tanzania; Uganda; and Zambia. This year, the President has added Angola to the list of eligible countries. The President removed the Central African Republic and Eritrea from the list of eligible countries.

As required by the legislation, this annual determination signifies which countries are making continued progress toward a market-based economy, the rule of law, free trade, economic policies that will reduce poverty, and protection of workers' rights. By providing these countries greater access to American markets, AGOA can spur development of an economic relationship between the United States and Africa that is based on shared values and shared responsibilities in a world of free trade, free peoples, and free ideas.