Topic: Mining Equipment and Critical Minerals in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan 

Hosts:   

U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick 

US. Ambassador to Tajikistan Manuel Micaller Jr.  

U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Lesslie Viguerie 

Date and Time: 11:00 am ET Tuesday, February 27, 2024  

Description:  Join U.S. Ambassadors to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan and Elena Son, Executive Director of the American-Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce, the U.S.-Kyrgyzstan Business Council, and the U.S.-Tajikistan Business Council, to learn about the three countries’ mining and emerging critical mineral sector and the experiences of U.S. companies operating in these evolving markets.   

Simon Glancy, Managing Partner of Strategic Solutions, a consulting firm which advises global companies on doing business in Central Asia’s strategic industries, including mining, will provide a brief overview of state mining policy and foreign investor activity in the mining industry in all three countries, focusing on critical minerals. He will also discuss business opportunities for firms to sell equipment and services in these markets. 

Please register by February 25, 2024.

Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Date and Time: Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 11:00 am EST

Host: U.S. Ambassador Constance J. Milstein

Topic: Business Opportunities in Malta’s Offshore Renewable Energy Sector

Description: Join the State Department’s Direct Line webinar to learn about opportunities for U.S. companies to invest in and supply Malta’s offshore sector to increase the production, storage, and use of renewable energy.  This event will highlight commercial opportunities in developing offshore wind, solar, hydrogen, battery storage, and other commercial activities in a planned Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).  Decision makers and policy experts from Malta’s Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise, Energy and Water Agency, and InterConnect Malta will share information about public investment in upcoming projects.

Presentation: 

• Opening remarks from Ambassador Milstein
• Opening remarks from Permanent Secretary Joseph Caruana, Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise
• Presentation from the Energy and Water Agency, Ing. Sandro Lauri
• Presentation from Interconnect Malta, Ing. Christian Spiteri
• Closing remarks from Ing. Abigail Cutajar, Advisor – Energy and Climate Change

Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Topic: Emerging Technology in Slovenia

Host: Ambassador Jamie L. Harpootlian

Date and Time: 11am ET Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Description: Ambassador Jamie L. Harpootlian invites you to explore emerging opportunities in Slovenia’s thriving technology sector. Slovenia is strategically located to tap into the broader Central and Eastern European and Western Balkan markets and boasts a skilled and tech-savvy workforce. The Slovenian start-up sector attracts over $100 million in investments every year. Slovenia is home to fast-growing start-up companies in healthcare, sustainability, and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and blockchain. Several Slovenian technology companies, including Outfit7, Zemanta, and Celtra, have recently attracted international investments.

• Ambassador Harpootlian will highlight opportunities in Slovenia’s technology sector.
• State Secretary at the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism, and Sport Matevž Frangež will present the government’s efforts to foster innovation and attract investment.
• Gregor Rebolj, cofounder of Silicon Gardens, one of Slovenia’s largest investment funds, will discuss the potential and opportunities in the country’s high-tech sector.

Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Topic: “Cabo Verde’s Emerging Technology Sector”

Host: U.S. Ambassador to Cabo Verde Jeff Daigle

Date and Time: July 2023

Brief Description of Call: Join Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Dilawar Syed, U.S. Ambassador to Cabo Verde Jeff Daigle, and Cabo Verde’s Secretary of State for Digital Economy Pedro Lopes to hear about business opportunities for U.S. companies in Cabo Verde. In this video, Secretary Pedro Lopes describes recent developments in Cabo Verde’s technology sector.

Special Representative Syed: Hi, my name is Dilawar Syed. I’m Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs. I am speaking to you from Praia. I was here for a couple of days as part of my West Africa swing to drum up more support for commercial investment in Cabo Verde. We are excited about the opportunities in renewable energy, in digital tourism, and blue economy. We appreciate that so many of you have joined us for the Direct Line with our ambassador. We certainly hope you will enjoy hearing about the opportunity in the country, and hopefully many of you will invest. Thank you so much for joining.

U.S. Ambassador Jeff Daigle: Thank you Special Representative Syed. Hello, I’m Jeff Daigle, the U.S. Ambassador to Cabo Verde. The close ties between the United States and Cabo Verde date back more than two centuries and are reflected in the sizable Cabo Verdean community in the United States, which is larger than the population of Cabo Verde itself. Shared values constitute the bedrock of the bilateral relationship, with Cabo Verde being a regional role model of stability, committed to democracy and good governance, rule of law, transparency, and promotion of human rights. Cabo Verde’s private sector-driven approach to economic development, focus on the digital and blue economies, and potential as a gateway to mainland Africa present excellent opportunities for U.S. companies, investors in a range of sectors including ports management and maritime services, clean energy, pharmaceuticals, tourism, cybersecurity, and agriculture. Expanding US commercial ties with Cabo Verde is a top priority for our embassy, which stands ready to support American companies and investors considering the Cabo Verdean market, including by helping the right make the right connections to do business here. We also maintain an up-to-date country commercial guide on Cabo Verde, which is available on the US Department of Commerce’s website. And now, I’m very pleased to introduce Cabo Verde’s Secretary of State for Digital Economy, Pedro Lopes.

Secretary of State for Digital Economy Pedro Lopes: It was a pleasure to welcome Mr. Syed here in Cabo Verde and show him the tech islands are open and ready for business and to receive U.S. business. We are building a tech park that will be ready in the end of this year to serve the entire continent. We want to be a reference, a hub of technology for West Africa. Also, we invested in the right connectivity. Internet is fast in Cabo Verde, and we want to improve even more. And we are training the talents. Cape Verdeans that will be trained to work for ICT companies to open their own ICT companies, but also talent from West Africa and talent from the world. We believe that here in Cabo Verde we can do magic things and also we can tell a story to the world with the power of ICT.

Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Topic: Hydropower Opportunities in Greenland 

Host: U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark Alan Leventhal  

Date/time: Wednesday, April 26 at 11 a.m. EDT

Description: Join U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark Alan Leventhal and Greenlandic Minister for Agriculture, Self-Sufficiency, Energy and Environment Kalistat Lund to explore an opportunity to partner in the development of Greenland’s hydropower sector and establish a commercial off-take industry.  The Government of Greenland will invite investors to bid in 2023-24 for two hydropower projects, located on the Southwest coast of Greenland between Kangerlussuaq and Nuuk.  Investment potential in the larger project is estimated at US$3-4 billion for plant construction, transmission lines, and commercial offtake.  The Greenlandic government anticipates a combined installed capacity of 750-800MW, with a firm energy output of 9,500-10,000GWh/a for the two projects, increasing over time due to increased meltwater.  Greenland is looking to engage with potential U.S. investors and other service and technology providers from the energy sector, offtake industries such as green hydrogen or ammonia production or processing of minerals, and/or investment funds.

Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Topic: “Opportunities in Malta’s Emerging Electric Vehicle Infrastructure”

Host: Chargé d’affaires Gwendolyn “Wendy” Green

Date and Time:  Recorded Tuesday, June 28th, 2022

Brief Description of Call:  On June 28th, 2022, Direct Line program brought U.S. businesses to the island of Malta to connect with Chargé d’affaires Gwendolyn “Wendy” Green and Maltese decision makers and policy experts from the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise and the Malta Foundation for Transport to explore “Opportunities in Malta’s Emerging Electric Vehicle Infrastructure.”

The State Department’s Office of Commercial and Business Affairs understands that U.S. companies are busy and cannot always join us live for our webinars.  To connect more U.S. companies with business opportunities overseas, we are offering readouts from our calls, including: pared down video excerpts from the live Direct Line presentations, and the most compelling statistics presented in the webinar, as well as direct contact with our Embassy officials liaising on these in-country opportunities.  If you have feedback on this new feature of the Direct Line program, questions regarding this specific opportunity, or ideas for future Direct Lines, please reach out to our Direct Line staff at directlinenotification@state.gov.

Supporting statistics for U.S. companies considering getting involved with Malta’s Emerging Electric Vehicle Infrastructure 

• Malta will be investing over $116 million dollars from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility funds by 2026. This amount represents about 32 percent of the country’s allocated funds to address its 2050 carbon-neutrality objective, with a substantial portion of these funds being channeled towards the decarbonization of transport.
• Malta has 751 cars for every 1,000 residents and Gozo has 1,179 for every 1,000 residents meaning Malta has the 3rd highest vehicles per capita in the world
• Malta’s government issuing grants of up to 13,000 Euros to opt for an electric vehicle, which makes the country amongst the highest Member States within the EU to offer such grants.

• In 2020, there were only ~2000 EVs in Malta, there are now roughly ~9452
• The Maltese government is now setting a goal for the electrification of vehicles to reach 65,000 within 90 months (up to 2030).
• Malta committed to the 2034 ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) cutoff date, with the possibility to push forward even sooner
• 362 Public Accessible Charging Points launched and planned implementation of 1,200 charging points over the next 3 years
• ICE Vehicle in Malta costs an average of ~30 Euros per week for fuel vs an EV which costs an average of only ~13 Euros per week for electricity

U.S. Companies interested in getting in touch with our Commercial Team at Embassy Valletta 

Our Commercial Specialist performs match-making services, conducts due diligence checks, and advises U.S. companies on specific considerations related to individual business cases.  U.S. companies should email Maria Cassar at maltabusiness@state.gov.

Part One: Video Featuring Remarks by U.S. Embassy Valletta Moderator and Chargé d’Affaires Wendy Green

Part Two: Video Featuring Remarks by Jeannette Axisa, Malta’s Foundation for Transport President

Please note that the presentation of Ing. Abigail Cutajar, Advisor to the Maltese Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise, will be available as soon as the Government of Malta launches the one-stop-shop related to the EV opportunities and further details are made publicly available.

Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Topic: Emerging 5G and ICT Opportunities in Latvia

Host: Ambassador John Carwile

Date and Time: March 8, 10:00am Eastern Standard Time (7:00am Pacific Standard Time)

Description of Call: U.S. Ambassador John Carwile invites you to explore emerging opportunities in the Fifth Generation and Information Communication Technology sectors in Latvia. With plans to install hundreds of 5G base stations in 2022 and increase semiconductor manufacturing, Latvia’s demand for 5G and ICT innovators, providers, and investors, is at an all-time high. Join us on the Direct Line call with guest speakers John Tully, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Latvia, and Kaspars Rožkalns, Director of Latvia’s Investment and Development Agency, to learn more about this growing sector.

Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Topic: Investment Opportunities in Egypt’s Green Economy

Host: Ambassador Jonathan Cohen

Date and Time: December 8th, 9:00 a.m. (New York) 6:00 a.m. (Los Angeles) 4:00 p.m. (Cairo)

Brief Description of Call: Join Ambassador Cohen, the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, and the U.S. – Egypt Business Council to learn about investment opportunities in green hydrogen, waste to energy, and other renewable energies; desalination; sustainable transportation; pollution mitigation; and more.

Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Topic:  Investment Opportunities in Egypt’s Technical Textiles Industry

Host:  Ambassador Jonathan Cohen and The Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES)

Date and Time:  Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT) 4:00 p.m. (Cairo)

Description of Call: Join Ambassador Cohen to learn more about Egypt’s fast-growing technical textiles industry. U.S. companies can profit from rising demand in the region’s most populous country, as well as the potential for export from Egypt to Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Topic: Regtech and Fintech Opportunities in Hong Kong

Host: U.S. Consul General Hanscom Smith

Guest Speakers: InvestHK Head of FinTech King Leung; HSBC Regional Chief Information Richard Lord; Citi Regional Chief Compliance Officer Aveline San

Date and Time: Thursday, October 7th 9:30 a.m. (EDT) / 9:30 p.m. (Hong Kong Time)

Brief Description of Call: Join CG Hanscom Smith to learn more about Hong Kong’s regulatory and financial technology space, which is ripe for U.S. business engagement ahead of Hong Kong Fintech Week on November 1-5.  Invest Hong Kong, Citi, HSBC will join the Consul General to offer insights into industry needs and the regulatory environment, and to introduce a networking platform for foreign startups.