Arlington, VA – The U.S. Trade and Development Agency will bring a delegation of leaders from Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Senegal to the United States to build partnerships in support of strengthening cybersecurity in the countries’ critical infrastructure.

While in the United States from September 29 to October 10, the 15-member delegation of government and financial sector representatives will travel to Washington, DC; New York City; and San Francisco to meet U.S. companies and see demonstrations of cutting-edge U.S. technologies that will protect critical infrastructure like financial services and telecommunications. Delegates will also meet with public and private sector representatives to explore the regulatory and financial aspects of advancing African cybersecurity capacity.

USTDA will host a public business briefing in Washington on October 2 and a networking reception on October 3 in New York City. These events are an opportunity for U.S. companies to hear directly from the delegation about upcoming commercial prospects and to engage one-on-one with delegates to showcase their cybersecurity solutions. For more information, please visit https://www.ustda.gov/events/.

As a leading developer and deployer of cybersecurity and data protection solutions, the U.S. private sector is uniquely positioned to become an essential partner to Côte d’Ivoire, the DRC, and Senegal as they fortify their network infrastructure. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to experience growth in digital economic activity and interconnectivity. As governments work to digitalize their economies and public services, they are increasingly seeking solutions for risks from cyberattacks and theft, particularly with respect to critical infrastructure.

The reverse trade mission advances the U.S. government’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment to deliver game-changing projects to close the infrastructure gap in developing countries; the Digital Transformation with Africa initiative for expanded access to an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet; the Prosper Africa initiative to increase two-way trade and investment between the U.S. and Africa; and the U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa.

###

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority infrastructure projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.

MEDIA INQUIRIES: Paul Marin | press@ustda.gov