Hershey CEO appointed to president’s council on U.S. –Africa trade

J.P. Bilbrey, CEO of Hershey, has been appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to President Obama’s newly-established Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA).

Bilbrey will be one of the 15 private sector leaders providing guidance to the president on strengthening partnerships with African nations to leverage the opportunities for U.S. companies committed to supporting the continent for the long term.

The private-sector council will focus on strengthening the U.S.’ commercial relationships with African nations.

“It is a great honor to be selected and to serve on this advisory council to our President,” said Bilbrey. “Africa is home to some of the fastest growing economies and represents an exciting opportunity for our government and U.S. businesses. The Hershey Company has a long history in West Africa through sourcing our most important commodity, cocoa, and more recently through our important work to help improve the

“Economic growth on the Continent will continue to drive demand for U.S. exports, which will ultimately help create jobs at home and provide valuable investment opportunities for U.S. businesses,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.

U.S. Department of Commerce and Bloomberg Philanthropies co-hosted the first-ever U.S.-Africa Business Forum earlier this year, where president Obama signed an Executive Order (E.O.) at the Forum to promote broad-based economic growth in the United States and Africa by encouraging U.S. companies to trade with and invest in Africa. The E.O. directed the Secretary of Commerce to establish the PAC-DBIA.

The PAC will provide information, analysis, and recommendations on U.S.-Africa trade and investment priorities including job creation, developing and strengthening commercial partnerships and analyzing the effect of policies in the United States and Africa on U.S. trade and investment interests in Africa.

For more information regarding the diverse appointees to the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa, please visit www.trade.gov/pac-dbia.