The US delegation will be led by Florizelle Liser, Assistant US Trade Representative for Africa. She will be accompanied by Patrick Coleman, Director for African Affairs; Craig Allen, Senior Commercial Officer, US Department of Commerce; and Scott Reynolds, Agricultural Counsellor, US Department of Agriculture. The Mauritian side will be headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation, Madan Dulloo.

Discussions will focus on the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) implementation measures, Business and Investment Opportunities, Trade Facilitation Measures, Trade in Services and Agri-Business, amongst others. Presentations will be made by both the American and the Mauritian delegations.

The Trade and Investment Framework Agreement was signed on 18 September 2006 in Washington by M. Dulloo and by the Deputy United States Trade Representative, Karan Bhatia.

The TIFA is a vehicle for strengthening and expanding bilateral trade ties between Mauritius and the United States. It provides an opportunity to work more closely on a broad range of trade-related issues, including the moving of the WTO Doha Development Round forward and the implementing of the AGOA. The Agreement is considered as a first step towards the creation of a Free Trade Area.

The TIFA also includes provisions for the establishment of a bilateral Trade and Investment Council that will monitor trade and investment relations and identify opportunities for expanding trade and investment, as well as important issues and challenges that both Mauritius and the United States need to address.