Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for inviting me to address you today. As you know, South Africa and the United States (US) have a long history of economic cooperation, and American businesses have played an important role in the development of our economy. South Africa is the US’s largest African trading partner and has the most diversified and industrialised economy on the continent. Last year alone, the US accounted for close to 9% of total exports and 7% came from imports.