Secretary Clinton calls for greater coherence between foreign aid and trade policy
August 5, 2009

“[A]t the State Department and USAID, we are actively exploring how we can fund, design, implement development and foreign assistance that produces measurable, lasting results, while also helping people in the short run. Development assistance linked to trade policy will, we believe, fuel dynamic market-led growth rather than perpetuating dependency.”
Excerpt from Secretary Clinton's keynote address at the 8th Forum of the African Growth and Opportunity Act

Secretary Clinton emphasized the interconnectedness of foreign aid and trade policy and the need for improved coherence between the two at the annual Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum in Nairobi last week. She stressed that the United States is eager to partner with Africa to advance the continent’s market competitiveness by improving AGOA, but also encouraged African countries to open up their borders to each other. By increasing its share of global trade by just one percent, Secretary Clinton pointed out, Africa could reap more in earnings than it receives in development assistance.

She made clear, however, that market access alone is not sufficient. Echoing President Obama’s commitment to double foreign assistance by 2014, Secretary Clinton affirmed her support for enhanced and focused foreign aid spending. She said that the United States is committed to helping African businesses build their capacity to take advantage of lower trade barriers. Secretary Clinton also pledged to make such aid more effective by increasing coordination across the many departments and agencies that administer U.S. development assistance.

Read the full speech delivered by Secretary Clinton