US senators fear Africa trade bill would harm us textile industry

Supporters and opponents of the latest version of an African trade bill called "African Growth and Opportunity Act," which aims to transform US-African relationship from one based on aid to one based on trade, fired the opening salvo on Feb.3 as the House Ways and Means Committee took up consideration of the measure.

According to the US Information Agency's newsletter, the bill is backed by Commerce Secretary William Daley who said the Clinton administration "strongly supports" it not only because it would help sub-saharan Africa enter the global market but also because it would be a benefit for US business and workers.

The US official, who visited Africa four times since he took office two years ago, argued that thanks to political and economic reforms in Africa, US exports to Africa in 1998 have grown about 5% from 1997.

After the bill passed the House of Representatives, it was obstructed at the Senate after critics claimed a provision providing quota-free entry to African textiles and apparel would cost American textile workers their jobs.

The chairman of a US private research firm which was commissioned by the Senate to examine the bill's possible effects on the US textile industry told lawmakers assessment "suggested a decline in US apparel production of one tenth of 1%.

According to USIA, the corps of African ambassadors in Washington have been enthusiastic supporters of the bill, releasing a letter last October by 30 of their members.

Another leading critics of the measure, is Representative Jesse Jackson, the son of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who is special envoy for the promotion of democracy in Africa. The younger Jackson submitted a counter-proposal of his own called "Human Rights, Opportunity, Partnership and Empowerment for Africa Act (HOPE for Africa Act).

Detailing his Hope for Africa Act, Jackson said it focuses on debt relief and "seeks to eliminate the greatest obstacle to the realization of Africa's enormous economic potential --the region's $ 230 billion external debt." He added that debt consumes more than 20% of the export earnings of the region, minus South Africa.