Visa’s Andrew Torre, Regional President for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa has been reappointed to the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa. The Advisory Council is a United States private sector council which, through the Secretary of Commerce, advises the president of the United States on improving U.S.-African commercial relations. Torre first joined the council in September 2016.
“I have had the great privilege to work in Africa for many years and know it to be a diverse, energetic, and dynamic continent. We believe that the fintech sector, coupled with African dynamism and entrepreneurship, will play a critical role in bringing sustainable and inclusive economic growth and that companies like Visa can help increase the bonds of economic cooperation between the United States and African nations,” says Torre.
“Our involvement in African economies can help attract more inward investment and stimulate local African businesses to export their ideas to the rest of the world. We want to be a catalyst for African innovation and growth and a partner in helping to bring inclusive economic opportunity for everyone. This is why we are proud to participate in this important Advisory Council and look forward to continued cooperation with our U.S. and African partners,” Torre added in regards to the effects of Visa’s involvement in Africa.
During a PAC-DBIA fact-finding mission to Africa in 2018, Visa and the Government of Cote D’Ivoire signed a partnership agreement to digitize key sectors of the economy, including government disbursements and agricultural supply chains. In addition to this, the expansion of financial inclusion and education is a priority of this agreement.
Visa has been operating in Africa for almost 20 years. The company has 7 regional hub offices that serve over a million merchant locations, millions of cardholders and hundreds of financial institutions across Africa. Visa opened its regional hub office for Francophone West Africa in Abidjan in November 2017, which is Visa’s 7th African site. Visa is a proud sponsor of the upcoming African Cup of Nations football tournament in Egypt which is set to begin in late June.
Edited by Kojo Essah
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