Commitments made by African trading partners under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) provide an effective foundation from which to achieve progressive liberalization of international trade and investment in services industries, reports the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in its study General Agreement on Trade in Services: Examination of the Schedules of Commitments Submitted by African Trading Partners.

The ITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, recently concluded the study, which examines GATS commitments scheduled by Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The report examines the following industries: distribution services, defined as wholesaling, retailing, and franchising services; education services; communication services, defined as basic and enhanced telecommunication, courier, and audiovisual services; health care services; professional services, defined as accounting, advertising, and legal services; architectural, engineering, and construction services; land-based transportation services, defined as rail and trucking services; and travel and tourism services. Highlights of the report follow.

• In 1997, cross-border service exports by U.S. firms measured $239 billion and cross- border service imports measured $156 billion. Services trade with African trading partners accounted for under 2 percent of total U.S. services trade.

• The schedules of commitments submitted by the selected trading partners vary considerably. South Africa, and to a limited degree, Senegal, scheduled commitments on a broad range of service industries, indicating that they are taking steps to foster trade and encourage investment in this economic sector. Other trading partners were more conservative, offering commitments on a limited number of service industries.

• Treatment of service industries also varies significantly. African trading partners provided the most complete coverage of basic and enhanced telecommunication, travel and tourism, construction, and land transportation services. Audiovisual, courier, distribution, and education services received less robust treatment. None of the selected trading partners scheduled commitments on advertising services.