Chamber picks former ambassador to lead South Africa outreach

{mosads}The Chamber created the U.S.-South Africa Business Council in December, saying that American businesses are already “late to the game” in the country. Relations with the country play a “critical role” in how U.S. corporate interests are received in Africa, the Chamber says.

In addition to working directly with the countries in southern Africa, the panel aims to lobby Washington lawmakers to create policies that ease the trading relationship — including protecting intellectual property rights and easing laws that limit how American companies can hire temporary workers in South Africa.

“Opportunities for increased economic engagement across Africa are abundant, and it is crucial that we now work together to overcome the hurdles that previously prevented trade and U.S. investment in southern Africa,” Scott Eisner, vice president of African affairs and international operations at the Chamber, said on Thursday.