While hurdles remain on the African continent, growth forecasts related to population, GDP, personal income and tourism keep the region top-of-mind for the U.S. red meat industry. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) sees the same potential and is taking critical steps to help U.S. companies and cooperators become involved in targeted countries. USMEF Africa Representative Matt Copeland joined USDA on its first agribusiness trade mission to Angola for market briefings, visits and trade meetings. The delegation also met with trade from the neighboring country of Republic of the Congo.

Copeland praised Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small and Mark Slupek, deputy administrator of global programs for FAS, for their guidance and leadership during the trade mission.

“It was a very productive mission with strategic discussions about Angola’s opportunities and challenges as well as idea-sharing about how we may overcome hurdles,” said Copeland.

There are opportunities here for American beef and pork, he adds, and one of USMEF’s challenges is to educate buyers about the quality attributes that differentiate U.S. red meat from competitors.

In previous visits to Angola, Copeland met with targeted traders and raised awareness about the availability of American beef in the market.