Bureau of African
Affairs
July
2007
Background Note:
Botswana
A cheetah alongside the road
at
Mochudi, Botswana, June 29, 2003.
[©
AP
Images]
Flag of Botswana is light blue with a horizontal white-edged black
stripe in
the
center.
PROFILE
OFFICIAL
NAME:
Republic of
Botswana
Geography
Area: 582,000 sq. km. (224,710 sq. mi.), about the size of
Texas.
Cities (2001 census): Capital--Gaborone (pronounced ha-bo-ro-neh),
pop.
186,007. Other towns--Francistown
(83,023), Selebi-Phikwe
(49,849),
Molepolole (54,561), Kanye (40,628), Serowe (42,444), Mahalapye
(39,719),
Lobatse (29,689), Maun (43,776), Mochudi
(36,962).
Terrain: Desert and
savanna.
Climate: Mostly
subtropical.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Motswana (sing.), Batswana
(pl.).
Population (2003): 1.76
million.
Annual population growth rate (2002):
0.6%.
Ethnic groups: Tswana 79%; Kalanga 11%; Kgalagadi, Herero, Bayeyi,
Hambukush,
Basarwa ("San"), Khoi, whites
10%.
Religions: Christianity 70%, none 20%, indigenous beliefs 6%, other
4%.
Languages: English (official),
Setswana,
Ikalanga.
Education: Adult
literacy--81%.
Health (2004): Life expectancy--33.9 years. Infant mortality
rate--56/1,000.
Work force (2003):
274,000.
Government
Type: Republic, parliamentary
democracy.
Independence: September 30,
1966.
Constitution: March
1965.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state and head of
government),
cabinet.
Legislative--popularly elected National Assembly; advisory House of
Chiefs. Judicial--High Court, Court of Appeal, local and customary
courts,
industrial labor
court.
Administrative subdivisions: Five town councils and nine district
councils.
Major political parties: Botswana Democratic Party
(BDP)--48 seats, Botswana
National Front (BNF)--12 seats, Botswana
Congress Party (BCP)--1 seat,
Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM), Botswana Peoples Party (BPP)--0
seats.
Suffrage: Universal at
18.
Economy
Nominal GDP (2004/2005): $9.2
billion.
Real GDP growth rate (2004/2005):
5.1%
Per capita nominal GDP (2004/2005):
$5,336.
Natural resources: Diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, soda ash, salt,
gold,
potash.
Agriculture (2.1% of GDP, 2004/2005): Products--livestock, sorghum,
white
maize, millet, cowpeas,
beans.
Industry: Types--mining (38% of GDP): diamonds, copper, nickel,
coal;
tourism, textiles,
construction, tourism, beef processing, chemical products
production,
food and beverage
production.
Trade (2003/2004): Exports--$2.9 billion: diamonds, nickel, copper,
meat
products, textiles, hides, skins, and
soda ash. Partners--EU, South Africa,
Zimbabwe. Imports--$2.9
billion: machinery, transport equipment, manufactured
goods, food,
chemicals, fuels. Major suppliers--South Africa, EU, and U.S.
PEOPLE AND
HISTORY
The Batswana, a term also used to denote all citizens of Botswana,
refers to
the country's major ethnic group (the "Tswana" in South
Africa), which came
into the area from South Africa during the
Zulu wars of the early 1800s.
Prior to
European contact, the Batswana lived as herders and farmers under
tribal
rule.
In the 19th century, hostilities broke out between the Batswana and
Boer
settlers from the Transvaal. After
appeals by the Batswana for assistance,
the British
Government in 1885 put "Bechuanaland" under its protection. The
northern territory remained under direct administration and is
today's
Botswana, while the
southern territory became part of the Cape Colony and is
now part of
the northwest province of South Africa; the majority
of
Setswana-speaking people today live in South
Africa.
Despite South African pressure, inhabitants of the Bechuanaland
Protectorate,
Basuotoland (now Lesotho), and Swaziland in 1909 asked
for and received
British assurances
that they would not be included in the proposed Union of
South
Africa. An expansion of British central authority and the evolution of
tribal government resulted in the 1920 establishment of two advisory
councils
representing Africans and Europeans. Proclamations in 1934
regularized tribal
rule and powers. A European-African advisory
council was formed in 1951, and
the 1961 constitution established a
consultative legislative council.
In June 1964, Britain accepted proposals for democratic
self-government in
Botswana. The seat of government was
moved from Mafikeng, in South Africa, to
newly established Gaborone in
1965. The 1965 constitution led to the first
general
elections and to independence in September 1966. Seretse Khama,
a
leader in the independence movement and the
legitimate claimant
to
traditional rule of the Bamangwato, was elected as the first
president,
re-elected twice, and died
in office in 1980. The presidency passed to the
sitting
vice president, Ketumile Masire, who was elected in his own right in
1984 and re-elected in 1989 and 1994. Masire retired from office in 1998.
The
presidency passed to the sitting vice president, Festus Mogae, who
was
elected in his own right in
1999. Mogae won a second term in elections held
October 30,
2004.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
Botswana has a flourishing multiparty constitutional democracy. Each
of the
elections since independence has been freely and fairly
contested and has
been held on schedule. The
country's minority groups participate freely in
the
political process. There are three main parties and a number of smaller
parties. In national elections in 2004, the Botswana Democratic Party
(BDP)
won 44 of 57 contested National Assembly seats, the
Botswana National Front
(BNF) won 12, and the Botswana Congress
Party (BCP) won 1 seat. Individuals
elected by the National
Assembly hold an additional 4 seats; the ruling BDP
currently
holds all 4. The opposition out-polled the ruling BDP in most urban
areas. The openness of the country's political system has been a significant
factor in Botswana's stability and economic growth. General elections
are
held every 5 years. The next general election
will be held in October 2009.
The president has executive power and is chosen by the National
Assembly
following countrywide legislative
elections. The cabinet is selected by the
president from the
National Assembly; it consists of a vice president and a
flexible number of ministers and assistant ministers, currently 14 and
6,
respectively. The National Assembly has 57
elected and 4 specially elected
members; it is expanded
following each census (every 10 years; the most
recent was conducted in
2001).
The advisory House of Chiefs represents the eight principal subgroups
of the
Batswana tribe, and four other members are elected by the sub
chiefs of four
of the districts. A draft of any National Assembly
bill of tribal concern
must be referred to the
House of Chiefs for advisory opinion. Chiefs and
other leaders preside over customary traditional courts, though all
persons
have the right to request that their case be considered
under the formal
British-based legal
system.
The roots of Botswana's democracy lie in Setswana traditions,
exemplified by
the Kgotla, or village council, in which the powers of
traditional leaders
are limited by custom and law.
Botswana's High Court has general civil and
criminal
jurisdiction. Judges are appointed by the president and may
be
removed only for cause and after a
hearing. The constitution has a code of
fundamental human
rights enforced by the courts, and Botswana has a good
human rights
record.
Local government is administered by nine district councils and five
town
councils. District commissioners have
executive authority and are appointed
by the central government
and assisted by elected and nominated district
councilors and district development committees. There has been
ongoing debate
about the political, social, and economic
marginalization of the San
(indigenous tribal population). The government's policies for the
Basarwa
(San) and other remote area dwellers
continue to spark
controversy.
Principal Government
Officials
President--Festus G.
Mogae
Vice President--Lt. Gen. (ret) Seretse Khama Ian
Khama
Cabinet
Ministers
Finance and Development Planning--Baledzi
Gaolathe
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation--Mompati S.
Merafhe
Environment, Wildlife and Tourism--Onkokame Kitso
Mokaila
Communications, Science and Technology--Pelonomi
Venson
Presidential Affairs and Public Administration--Phandu T.C.
Skelemani
Trade and
Industry--Daniel Neo
Moroka
Minerals Resources and Water Affairs--Mbiganyi Charles
Tibone
Lands and Housing--Dikgakgamatso
Seretse
Local Government--Margaret
Nasha
Education--Jacob
Nkate
Health--Sheila
Tlou
Works and Transport--Lesego
Motsumi
Labour and Home Affairs--Moeng
Pheto
Agriculture--Johnnie Keemenao
Swartz
Ambassador to the United States--L. Caesar
Lekoa
Ambassador to the United Nations--Samuel Otsile
Outlule
Botswana maintains an embassy at 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue
NW,
Washington
DC 20036 (tel. 202-244-4990; fax 202-244-4164). Its mission to the
United Nations is at 103 E. 37th Street, New York NY 10017
(tel.
212-889-2277; fax
212-725-5061).
ECONOMY
Since independence, Botswana has had the fastest growth in per capita
income
in the world. Economic growth averaged over 9% per year from
1967-97. The
government has maintained a sound
fiscal policy, despite three consecutive
budget deficits
in 2002-2004, and a negligible level of foreign debt. Foreign
exchange
reserves were $5 billion at the end of December 2005, equivalent to
22 months of imports of goods and services. Botswana's impressive
economic
record has been built on the foundation of
wisely using revenue generated
from diamond mining
to fuel economic development through prudent
fiscal
policies and a cautious foreign
policy. However, economic development
spending was cut by 10% in 2002/2003 as a result of recurring budget
deficits
and rising expenditure on healthcare services. While
development spending was
budgeted to increase by 12.3% in the
2005/2006 fiscal year, the bulk of the
money was to be spent on
ongoing projects and maintenance rather than new
infrastructure. Real GDP growth was expected to slow in 2005 to between
3%
and 4% from its 5.7% growth rate in 2004. The
government recognizes that HIV/
AIDS will continue to affect the
economy and is providing leadership and
programs to combat the epidemic, including free anti-retroviral treatment
and
a nationwide Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission
program.
Mining
Two large mining companies, Debswana (formed by the government and
South
Africa's DeBeers in equal partnership)
and Bamangwato Concessions, Ltd. (BCL,
also with substantial
government equity participation) operate in
the
country.
Since the early 1980s, the country has been the world's largest
producer of
gem quality diamonds. Four large diamond mines have
opened
since
independence. DeBeers prospectors discovered diamonds in northern
Botswana in
the late 1960s. The first mine began production at Orapa
in 1972, followed by
the smaller mines of Lethlakane and Damtshaa.
What has become
the
single-richest diamond mine in the world opened in Jwaneng in 1982. The
Orapa
2000 Expansion of the existing Orapa mine was opened in 2000. In
December
2004, Debswana negotiated 25-year lease
renewals for all four of its mines
with the Government of
Botswana. The Debswana carat output for 2004 was a
record 31 million carats, making Debswana the world's leading
diamond
producer by value
and volume. Exploration for other kimberlite
pipes
continues. In
addition, as part of its drive to diversify and increase local
value
added within the mining sector, Botswana has announced plans
to
establish a joint
venture company with De Beers, which will be Debswana's
sorting and marketing
arm.
BCL, which operates a copper-nickel mine at Selebi-Phikwe, has had a
troubled
financial history but remains an important employer. The soda
ash operation
at Sua Pan, opened in 1991 and supported by
substantial
government
investment, has begun making a profit following significant
restructuring. It
produced 283,000 tons of soda ash in 2002. BCL is
expected to significantly
reduce operations within the next ten
years.
Coal bed methane gas has been discovered in the northeastern part of
the
country, estimated by the developers at a
commercially viable quantity of 12
trillion cubic feet. Development
of the gas field, financed by the U.S.
Overseas Private Investment Corporation, began in
mid-2004.
Tourism
Tourism is an increasingly important industry in Botswana, accounting
for
almost 12% of GDP, despite only modest growth
of 2.9% in 2003/2004. One of
the world's unique
ecosystems, the Okavango Delta, is located in Botswana.
The country offers excellent game viewing and birding both in the Delta
and
in the Chobe Game Reserve--home to one of the largest herds
of free-ranging
elephants in the world. Botswana's Central
Kalahari Game Reserve also offers
good game viewing and some of the
most remote and unspoiled wilderness in
southern
Africa.
Agriculture
More than one-half of the population lives in rural areas and is
largely
dependent on subsistence crop and
livestock farming. Agriculture meets only a
small portion of food
needs and contributes a very small amount
to
GDP--primarily through beef exports--but it remains a social and
cultural
touchstone. Cattle raising in particular
dominated Botswana's social and
economic life
before independence. The national herd is estimated between 2
and 3 million head, but the cattle industry is experiencing a
protracted
decline.
Private Sector Development and Foreign
Investment
Botswana seeks to further diversify its economy away from minerals,
which
account for a third of GDP (down from nearly
half of GDP in the early 1990s).
Foreign investment and management are
welcomed in Botswana. Botswana
abolished foreign exchange controls in 1999, has a low corporate tax
rate
(15%), and no prohibitions on foreign
ownership of companies. The country's
inflation rate had
remained stable and comparatively low over the 10 years
preceding 2005. However, rising fuel and utility prices along with
the
government's 12.5%
devaluation of the Pula in May 2005 resulted in a spike in
inflation
to an average annual rate of 11.4% as of December 2005, which fell
well outside the Bank of Botswana's target rate of between 4-7%.
The
Government of
Botswana was considering additional policies to
enhance
competitiveness,
including a new Foreign Direct Investment Strategy
and
National Export Development
Strategy. Botswana's parliament adopted both a
Privatization Master Plan and a new Competition Policy that were aimed
at
fostering economic
diversification.
With its proven record of good economic governance, Botswana was
ranked as
Africa's least corrupt country by Transparency
International in 2005, ahead
of many European and Asian
countries. The World Economic Forum rates Botswana
as one of the two
most economically competitive nations in Africa.
In
November 2005, Standard
& Poor's once again assigned Botswana an "A" grade
credit rating. This ranks Botswana as by far the best credit risk in
Africa
and puts it on par or above many countries in central
Europe, East Asia, and
Latin
America.
U.S. investment in Botswana remains at relatively low levels. Major
U.S.
corporations, such as H.J. Heinz and AON
Corporation, are present through
direct
investments, while others, such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and Remax,
are present via franchise. The sovereign credit ratings by Moody's
and
Standard & Poor's clearly
indicate that, despite continued challenges such as
small market size,
landlocked location, and cumbersome
bureaucratic
processes, Botswana remains one of the best investment opportunities in
the
developing world. Botswana has a 90-member American
Business Council that
accepts membership from
American-affiliated
companies.
Because of history and geography, Botswana has long had deep ties to
the
economy of South Africa. The Southern
Africa Customs Union (SACU), comprised
of Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho,
Swaziland, and South Africa, dates from 1910,
and is the world's
oldest customs union. Under this arrangement, South Africa
has
collected levies from customs, sales, and excise duties for all
five
members, sharing out proceeds based on
each country's portion of imports. The
exact formula for sharing
revenues and the decision-making authority over
duties--held exclusively by the Government of South
Africa--became
increasingly controversial, and the members renegotiated the
arrangement in
2001. A new structure has now been formally
ratified and a SACU Secretariat
has been established in
Windhoek, Namibia. Following South Africa's accession
to the World
Trade Organization (WTO, of which Botswana also is a member),
many of the SACU duties are declining, making American products
more
competitive in
Botswana. Currently the SACU countries and the U.S.
are
negotiating a free trade
agreement. Botswana is currently also negotiating a
free trade
agreement with Mercosur and an Economic Partnership Agreement with
the
European Union as part of SADC, and opened negotiations with China
and
India in
2005.
Botswana's currency--the Pula--is fully convertible and is valued
against a
basket of currencies heavily weighted toward the
South African Rand. Profits
and direct investment can be repatriated
without restriction from Botswana.
The Botswana Government
eliminated all exchange controls in 1999. The Central
Bank devalued
the Pula by 12.5% in May 2005 in a bid to maintain
export
competitiveness against the real
appreciation of the Pula and restructured
the exchange
rate mechanism to a crawling peg system to ensure against future
large-scale
devaluations.
Botswana is the immediate past chair of the 14-nation Southern
African
Development Community
(SADC), and Gaborone hosts the SADC Secretariat's
headquarters. SADC replaced the Southern Africa Development
Coordination
Conference (SADCC--launched in
1980, which focused its efforts on freeing
regional
economic development from dependence on apartheid South Africa. SADC
embraced the newly democratic South Africa as a member in 1994. It has
a
broad mandate to encourage growth,
development, and economic integration in
Southern Africa.
SADC's Trade Protocol, which was launched on September 1,
2000, calls for the elimination of all tariff and non-tariff barriers
to
trade by 2008 among the 11 signatory
countries. Zimbabwe's membership has
limited SADC's
opportunities for cooperation with the United
States.
Transportation and
Communications
A sparsely populated, semi-arid country about the size of Texas,
Botswana has
nonetheless managed to incorporate much of its interior
into the national
economy. An "inner circle"
highway connecting all major towns and district
capitals
is completely paved, and the all-weather Trans-Kalahari
Highway
connects the country (and, through
it, South Africa's commercially dominant
Gauteng Province) to
Walvis Bay in Namibia. A fiber-optic telecommunications
network has
been completed in Botswana connecting all major
population
centers. In November
2003, representatives of Botswana, Namibia and South
Africa signed an MOU to simplify documentation to move cargoes to and
from
the Port of Walvis Bay in
Namibia.
In addition to the government-owned newspaper and national radio
network,
there is an active, independent press (one
daily and seven
weekly
newspapers). Two privately owned radio stations began operations in
1999. In
2000, the government-owned Botswana Television (BTV) was
launched, which is
Botswana's first national television
station. GBC is a commercially owned
television
station that broadcast programs to the Gaborone area only. Foreign
publications are sold without restriction in Botswana, and there are
22
commercial Internet service
providers. Two cellular phone providers cover
most
of the
country.
DEFENSE
The president is commander in chief of the Botswana Defense Force
(BDF). A
defense council is appointed by the president.
The BDF was formed in 1977 and
has approximately 13,000
members.
The BDF is a capable and well-disciplined military force. Following
positive
political changes in South Africa and the region, the BDF's
missions have
increasingly focused on border
control and anti-poaching activities. The
United States has been the largest single contributor to the development
of
the BDF, and a large segment of its officer corps has
received U.S. training.
It is considered an apolitical and
professional
institution.
FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Botswana puts a premium on economic and political integration in
Southern
Africa. It seeks to make SADC a working
vehicle for economic development, and
promotes efforts to make the
region self-policing in terms of preventative
diplomacy,
conflict resolution, and good governance. Botswana joins
the
African consensus on most major
international matters and is a member of
international organizations such as the United Nations and the African Union
(AU).
U.S.-BOTSWANA
RELATIONS
The United States considers Botswana an advocate of and a model for
stability
in Africa and has been a major partner in Botswana's
development since its
independence. The U.S. Peace Corps
returned to Botswana in August 2002 with a
focus on HIV/AIDS-related
programs after concluding 30 years of more broadly
targeted
assistance in 1997. Similarly, the USAID phased out a longstanding
partnership with Botswana in 1996, after successful programs
emphasizing
education, training,
entrepreneurship, environmental management,
and
reproductive
health. Botswana, however, continues to benefit along with its
neighbors in the region from USAID's Initiative for Southern Africa.
The
Regional Center for Southern Africa
(RCSA), which implements the U.S. Agency
for International
Development's (USAID) Initiative for Southern Africa (ISA),
is
headquartered in Gaborone as well. The United States International Board
of Broadcasters (IBB) operates a major Voice of America (VOA) relay
station
in Botswana serving most of the African
Continent.
In 1995, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) started the BOTUSA
Project in
collaboration with the Botswana Ministry of Health in
order to generate
information to
improve TB control efforts in Botswana and elsewhere in the
face of the TB and HIV/AIDS co-epidemics. Under the 1999 U.S.
Government's
Leadership and Investment in Fighting an
Epidemic (LIFE) Initiative, CDC
through the
BOTUSA Project has undertaken many projects and has assisted many
organizations in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in
Botswana.
Botswana is one
of the 15 focus countries for PEPFAR, the
President's
Emergency Plan
for Aids Relief and began receiving funding and assistance
under this program in January 2004. PEPFAR assistance to Botswana,
which
totaled $20 million in FY 2004 and
doubled to $40 million in FY 2005, is
contributing to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care
interventions.
The Governments of Botswana and the United States entered into an
agreement
in July 2000 to establish an International Law
Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in
Gaborone. The academy, jointly
financed, managed and staffed by the two
nations, provides training to police and government officials from
Southern
Africa and eventually from across the continent. The
academy's permanent
campus, in Otse outside
of Gaborone, opened March 2003. Over 1,500
law
enforcement professionals
from Sub-Saharan Africa have received training from
ILEA since it
began offering classes in
2001.
Principal U.S.
Officials
Ambassador--Katherine H.
Canavan
Deputy Chief of Mission--Philip R.
Drouin
USAID Regional Center for Southern Africa Director--Erna
Kerst
Defense Attache--LTC Davis (Lee)
Butler
Office of Defense Cooperation--LTC Daniel M.
Jones
Centers for Disease Control--Dr. Margarett
Davis
International Board of Broadcasters--William
Martin
International Law Enforcement Agency--Stan
Moran
Peace Corps--Peggy
McClure
The U.S. Embassy is on Embassy Drive off Khama Crescent--P.O. Box
90,
Gaborone (tel.
267-353-982; fax 267-356-947). USAID is located on Lebatlane
Road. DAO and ODC are located at the embassy. CDC is located on
Ditlhakore
Way in Gaborone. ILEA is located in Otse,
about 30 minutes outside of
Gaborone. The IBB station is located in Selebi-Phikwe, about 400
kilometers
northeast of
Gaborone.
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS
INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises
Americans
traveling and residing abroad through Consular Information
Sheets, Public
Announcements, and Travel Warnings.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all
countries and include
information on entry and exit requirements, currency
regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime,
political
disturbances, and
the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.
Public
Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly
about
terrorist threats and other relatively
short-term conditions overseas that
pose significant
risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings
are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or
unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling
abroad
should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs Internet
web site at
href="http://www.travel.state.gov">http://www.travel.state.gov, where the
current Worldwide Caution,
Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings
can be found. Consular Affairs
Publications,
which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a
safe
trip abroad, are also available at
href="http://www.travel.state.gov">http://www.travel.state.gov.
For
additional information on international
travel, see
href="http://www.usa.gov/">http://www.usa.gov/
Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S citizens traveling or
residing
abroad to register via the State
Department's travel registration website or
at the nearest U.S.
embassy or consulate abroad. Registration will make your
presence and
whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an
emergency and will enable you to receive up-to-date information on
security
conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained
by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and
Canada or the regular
toll line 1-202-501-4444 for
callers outside the U.S. and
Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S.
Department of
State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S.
passport
information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer
service
representatives and operators for TDD/TTY
are available Monday-Friday, 7:00
a.m. to 12:00 midnight,
Eastern Time, excluding federal
holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP
(877-394-8747) and a web site at
href="http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm">http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the
most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements,
and advice on food and drinking water safety for
regions and countries. A
booklet entitled "Health
Information for International Travel"
(HHS
publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government
Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202)
512-1800.
Further Electronic
Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at
http://
www.state.gov, the Department of State web
site provides timely, global
access to
official U.S. foreign policy information, including
Background
Notes and daily press briefings
along with the directory of key officers of
Foreign Service
posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)
provides
security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies
working abroad through its website
href="http://www.osac.gov">http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and
market
information offered by the federal
government and provides trade leads, free
export counseling, help
with the export process, and
more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides
authoritative economic, business, and
international trade information from
the Federal
government. The site includes current and
historical
trade-related releases, international market research, trade
opportunities,
and country analysis and provides access to the
National Trade Data Bank.