Following is the text of a joint statement issued June 11 by the United States of America and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia:

The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, in association with the United States Government, will host the 2013 U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum also known as the AGOA Forum, on August 12-13, 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The theme of this year’s AGOA Forum is “Sustainable Transformation through Trade and Technology.” The Ministerial-level event will include a high level dialogue on the future of U.S.-Africa trade and economic cooperation.

The Forum will be preceded by private sector and civil society programs, as well as a program arranged by the Ethiopian African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP), on August 10-11. The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) in collaboration with the Ethiopian Chambers of Commerce and Sectoral Associations (ECCSA) will also organize a U.S. – sub-Saharan Africa Trade Exhibition to run concurrent with the Forum events.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is the U.S. Government’s signature trade initiative with sub-Saharan Africa. The United States is strongly committed to expanding trade and investment, and to supporting broad-based economic opportunity and prosperity in Sub-Saharan Africa.