Joins U.S. and African officials and business leaders in discussion of reform in public procurement as a critical driver of growth in the region

(Parsippany, New Jersey) – 26 July 2018 – Paul Sullivan, Senior Vice President – International at Acrow Bridge, a leading international bridge engineering and supply company, was a featured speaker at the 17^th annual AGOA Forum, held July 9-12, 2018 in Washington, DC.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) has been the cornerstone of U.S. economic policy in Africa since 2000. The annual AGOA Forum brings together African Trade Ministers with senior U.S. administration officials and business leaders to forward the Act’s objectives of expanding and deepening the trade and investment relationship with sub-Saharan Africa. The theme of this year’s event was “Forging New Strategies for U.S.-Africa Trade and Investment.”

Sullivan was featured at a workshop presentation titled “Public Procurement and Reform: A Driver of Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Topics covered included how best practices and policies can lead to smarter, longer-term investments in infrastructure and other sectors that promote sustained growth and support trade and investment.

“Infrastructure investment is an essential component in the economic development of sub-Saharan Africa,” said Sullivan, who is a frequent speaker at international development conferences and also a member of the United States Trade Representative’s Trade Advisory Committee on Africa (TACA). “It was a distinct privilege to have been part of this major event that convened African and American leaders in business, government and finance to discuss more transparent, more efficient ways to administer public procurement in service of better infrastructure development outcomes.”

Acrow is a leading supplier of prefabricated modular steel bridges to the African continent.  Thousands of Acrow bridges connect people and communities across Africa, improving access to schools, hospitals and greater economic opportunity. Acrow has also trained hundreds of African engineers and contractors in bridge assembly, installation and maintenance, and arranged financing for numerous large-scale bridge development projects.

Sullivan’s co-panelists were Erik Bethel, U.S. Executive Director, World Bank; Florizelle (Florie) Liser, President and CEO, Corporate Council on Africa; and Vinay Sharma, Director of Solutions and Innovation in Procurement, World Bank. Moderators were Thomas Hardy, Director, Congressional and Public Affairs, U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and H.E. Melaku Alebel, Minister, Ministry of Trade, Ethiopia.

About Acrow Bridge
Acrow Bridge has been serving the transportation and construction industries for more than 60 years with a full line of modular steel bridging solutions for vehicle, rail, vessel, military and pedestrian use. Acrow’s extensive international presence includes its leadership in the development and implementation of bridge infrastructure projects in over 80 countries, covering Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.acrow.com.