Commerce to Lead First Department-led Trade Mission since Pandemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2022
Contact: Office of Public Affairs
publicaffairs@trade.gov
(202) 482-3809
WASHINGTON – Between March 2-10, 2022, the Department of Commerce will lead more than 140 American businesses to the Middle East and Africa region for Trade Winds, the U.S. government’s flagship trade mission and business development forum. It is also the Department’s first in-person trade mission since the onset of the global pandemic.
Organized by the Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA), Trade Winds is designed to help U.S. businesses seeking to expand into new markets. American companies in attendance have a unique opportunity to meet in-person with prospective distributors, sales and government representatives, or partners that have been vetted by Commerce as interested in pursuing business. As in past Trade Winds missions, it is anticipated that nearly 600 government-to-business meetings and over 400 business-to-business engagements will occur.
This year’s Trade Winds centers around a three-day business forum (March 6-8) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that features meetings with U.S. commercial diplomats and trade experts from over 20 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, plenary sessions and networking events. Companies can also join Commerce officials for optional trade mission stops in Algeria, Israel, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt. At each mission stop, attending companies will meet directly with foreign government leaders, market experts and pre-vetted potential business partners.
“The Middle East and Africa are regions of significant growth with immense opportunities for collaboration in investment and development as we build back better through trade,” said U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa Lago, who is leading the U.S. delegation to Dubai. “Our goal at the Department of Commerce is to help American companies, including small and medium sized firms, as well as women and minority-owned enterprises, compete and win globally. The Trade Winds mission and forum are vital components of these efforts.”
Additionally, the inaugural Women Empowered Leave Legacies through Trade and Investment (WELLTI) Summit will be taking place alongside the Trade Winds business forum. The WELLTI Summit will feature panels and events to provide women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs with data, knowledge, contacts, and financing to increase trade.
Since its inception in 2008, Trade Winds has directly supported more than $3.4 billion in U.S. exports in over 40 countries, with the participation of over 1,000 U.S. companies and sponsors. The flagship trade mission has helped U.S. businesses conduct over 4,500 pre-vetted business-to-business meetings around the world. Learn more about Trade Winds.
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About the International Trade Administration
The International Trade Administration (ITA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce is the premier resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace. ITA has more than 2,200 employees assisting U.S. exporters in more than 100 U.S. cities and 75 markets worldwide. For more information on ITA visit www.trade.gov.
