Wednesday, April 28, 1999 Published at 05:11 GMT 06:11 UK


US urges Africa to remove trade barriers

The United States Energy Secretary, Bill Richardson, has called on African
countries to remove barriers that discourage foreign companies from
investing
in the continent.

Addressing a conference in Houston on attracting foreign capital to Africa,
Mr Richardson told African delegates that American investment in many
African
countries was still facing barriers erected to insulate unstable
governments.

He said the future of American investment in Africa was in energy, adding
that
American companies could help overcome the shortage of capital in Africa if
an
attractive investment climate were created. Mr Richardson named Egypt,
Ghana,
Mauritius and Namibia as examples of countries that have created a business
climate that attracted foreign investment

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service