---

Mauritians on the Move, American Style

Obama's policies on Africa won't be much different than Bush's

U.S. policy toward Africa under President Barack Obama is starting to take shape, now that the president has visited several African countries, and Obama administration officials have attended their first AGOA Forum, which concluded last week in Kenya.

But despite the president's family heritage in Kenya, it appears that there won't be much of an immediate or abrupt change in direction in U.S.-Africa relations from what was done under George W. Bush.

Many observers argue that Bush was a very good friend of Africa, increasing US funds for HIV-AIDS programs and generally fostering a feeling of hope and promise in the region rather than the divisiveness and bitterness that he caused he other parts of the world. Mauritius also benefited from his presidency with his signature on a new law that renewed the island's access to third-country fabric under the AGOA trade program.

If comments made by Obama officials at the AGOA Forum that ended last week in Nairobi are any indication, the Obama administration will play it cautious - not promising any grand new schemes or expensive new programs. They are mindful, especially during a global recession that has hit the American manufacturing sector especially hard, not to offer any new trade concessions at a time when many Americans are losing their jobs.

The focus of this year's AGOA Forum, which was attended by African leaders, U.S. top officials including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and private sector representatives, was on advancing the U.S.-Africa partnership on trade and development.

U.S. officials talked about developing new strategies to expand and diversify trade, which they consider an engine to economic growth both in the US and Africa. "A healthy, sustainable U.S.-Africa relationship must be built on expanded trade in both directions," said U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

But U.S. officials made it abundantly clear that much of the initiative and the new strategies should come from Africa, not always the United States. "The Obama administration is committed to supporting trade capacity building assistance, known as "Aid for Trade," to help African countries make the most of global trade opportunities," Kirk said. "African countries must also do their part by making trade a priority in their development programs and ensuring that funds are wisely targeted."

Secretary of State Clinton echoed the same theme, urging African countries to reduce their trade barriers. "The biggest opportunity for African countries is to open up trade with each other," she said, adding that Africa offers great promise as a producer of food. "The world will look increasingly to Africa to be its bread basket in the future."

African leaders attending the Forum had their own agenda, pushing for an extension of AGOA beyond its expiration in 2015, and expanding the already long list of products covered by the duty-free, quota-free benefits of AGOA.

But Kirk diverted the discussion, saying the answer isn't expanding the list of AGOA products, as almost everything is already covered, but diversifying a country's use of AGOA in different product areas. "We will do our part providing trade-related technical assistance," he said. "African governments and businesses can help to make the most of AGOA by developing join export development strategies in specific product sectors."

In other press interviews, Kirk was more blunt, saying that if Africa wants to take full advantage of global trade opportunities it must also address bad infrastructure, tariff barriers, customs standardization, government and legal reforms and corruption.

U.S. officials are wise to be cautious and review what is working with U.S. policies in Africa - and what is not - before embarking on any new initiatives. There are actually many U.S. programs that are working well in Africa, and these should be encouraged and continued.

Mauritius-U.S. open negotiations on expanded trade

Mauritius has become (yet again) an example of how the United States can help promote investment in Africa. At a press conference at the AGOA Forum, Secretary of State Clinton announced that the United States and Mauritius will begin negotiations for a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) that would strengthen investor protections and encourage continued market-oriented economic reforms.

Mrs. Clinton said that the BIT with Mauritius serves "our broader interest" in engaging other potential BIT partners in Africa and that interest is also reflected in ongoing exploratory talks with Ghana, Nigeria and Gabon.

"Mauritius is one of the most economically successful and politically stable countries in Africa. It has an impressive track record on democracy, economic growth, openness to foreign direct investment, economic diversification and the expansion of trade," added U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

"The proposed U.S.-Mauritius BIT will help reinforce the efforts of one of Africa's strongest performers on trade and economic reform, and help improve Mauritius's already favorable investment climate by providing high standards of investment protection," he said.

Bilateral investment treaties are legally binding treaties that provide significant legal protections for investors and investments in BIT partner countries. They encourage market-oriented domestic policies that treat private investments in an open, transparent manner. The U.S. already has BIT agreements in force with Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Senegal.

The Obama administration is currently reviewing the current U.S. model treaty for BITs. Until this review is completed, negotiations with Mauritius will continue.

The U.S. and Mauritius already have a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) in place, which set up a regular, high-level forum to address a wide range of trade and investment issues. The idea of negotiating a U.S.-Mauritius BIT came out of the TIFA discussions.

Total two-way trade between Mauritius and the United States was valued at $227.7 million in 2008, although textile trade has dropped due to the world recession and other factors. Leading Mauritian exports to the U.S. include textile and apparel, cut diamonds and jewelry, live animals, prepared fish, optical and medical instruments and perfume. Leading U.S. exports to Mauritius include wheat, diamonds, jewelry and machinery.

At the end of 2007, U.S. direct investment was $2.9 billion, an increase of 83 percent from 2006. Since 2004, the U.S. direct investment position in Mauritius has increased nearly 700 percent, according to the U.S. government.

Opportunities exist to sell Mauritian food products in U.S.

Mauritian companies attending the annual Fancy Food Show in New York City from June 28-30 discovered that despite the global recession, American companies are still interested in buying unique food products from Mauritius and elsewhere in Africa.

It was the fourth year in which Mauritian companies sent representatives to the show, with the hope of making contacts with potential U.S. specialty food buyers. They discovered that the U.S. market is open to new products, but it will require a committed and focused approach on the part of African and Mauritian companies to market their goods here.

Assisted by grants and technical assistance from the U.S. government, ten African companies filled out the "Africa Pavilion," highlighting a diverse set of products from the region. Some 25,000 buyers from across the United States attended the show, sampling products from 2,300 different exhibitors.

Attending from Mauritius were Cie Agricole de Labourdonnais, Cotomili & Carripoul and Poivre D'Or.

"We offered our jams and fruit paste, as well as our new Agricole Rum," said Réaz Gunga, processing manager at Labourdonnais. "The American visitors liked our products a lot and we had a great show. They appreciated the assortment of flavors of our jams and fruit pastes as well as the rum, which they found to be exceptional with a great cane juice taste."

Cotomili & Carripoul presented their Mazavarou 26 spices, as well as Fleur de Sel with culinary essential oils. Poivre D'Or offered jams, chili pastes, spices and vanilla.

"The Mauritian booths were very well decorated and we had many compliments on the way we did our booths," Gunga said.

He said that companies made contacts with potential buyers, and are now following up.

Kudos continue for Le Chamarré

I just returned from three weeks vacation in France and while skimming through the July 25 issue of Figaro newspapers' magazine something caught my eye: a photo of Antoine Heerah, the Mauritian-born chef who continues to dazzle the restaurant world in Paris with his Mauritian-inspired cooking.

Below photos of Heerah and the interior of his restaurant, the headline shouted: "Le Chamarré, De Maurice à Montmartre, il y a eu quelques embuches et beaucoup de travail. Payant!"

Yet another review of praise for the culinary talents of Heerah, who re-located Chamarré from the 7th arrondissement, near the Eiffel Tower, to the more artsy quarter of Montmartre last November.

"Preuve qu'au début de cette nouvelle aventure Antoine Heerah procéda rapidement à de sérieux changements. Pour le meilleur," écrit Francois-Régis Gaudry. "Aujourd'hui, on ne peut que lui dire à quel point sa cuisine a su élaguer le superflu pour mieux cultiver son àme créole."

Gaudry is not alone. Heerah's cuisine has drawn strong reviews from many other gastronomy guides, including Gault Millau which gave it a 16/20. Michelin awarded the restaurant one star.

Heerah distinguishes himself in the very crowded field of Paris restaurants with his marriage of "terre et mer" that mixes flavors from Mauritius with classic French cooking. Call it French classics with a Créole touch, although Heerah has admitted in several interviews to holding back the Indian spices to cater to the more sensitive French pallet.

A British critic, writing a review on the internet, described how "each plate looks like an edible painting, with swirls of purée drizzling with foamy sauces and sprinkling of spice."

Another reviewer called it "Franco-Mauritian cuisine of excellent quality."

Heerah's talents haven't gone unnoticed in Mauritius. He has been working as a consultant for Air Mauritius, developing recipes for in-flight meals.

Le Charmarré is located at 52, rue Lamarck, Paris, 18th. Prices range from 52 euros to 115 euros for the dinner menu.

A death in North Dakota

Marie Theresa Baillache Craig, a native of Mauritius, died at the age of 79 in Mayville, North Dakota on July 2.

She came to the United States in 1955 after marrying James M. Craig, whom she met in Durban, South Africa while working as a secretary. Mr. Craig was a mariner in the American merchant marine.

Life in North Dakota "was not easy so far from home with the cultural and climatic changes," according to an obituary published in a newspaper in Fargo, North Dakota. "She spoke fluent French, dressed with a flair, and had a beautiful head of wavy black hair that was admired by many."

She was the daughter of Benjamin and Jeanne (LaPierre) Baillache of Mauritius.

She is survived by six children, seven grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and brothers Louis Clement of Quartre Borne, Serge in London, Gerald in Cape Town and Harve (Maria-Leena) of Grand Fork, British Columbia. Two other brothers - Noel and Edward - have passed away.

"Theresa loved bingo, flowers and going for drives," the article said. "She often greeted people with a kiss on each cheek."

a m e r i c a n   s c e n e

WEEK-END --- dimanche 9 août 2009