Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa
Constance Hamilton is the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa, Office of the United States Trade Representative. In this capacity, she leads U.S. trade efforts in the 49 countries of sub-Saharan Africa and oversees the Administration’s implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Ms. Hamilton is responsible for developing and advancing bilateral, regional and multilateral U.S. initiatives to enhance U.S. trade and economic cooperation with sub-Saharan Africa.
Ms. Hamilton previously served as the Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa, where she advanced measures to open markets and improve the investment climates in African countries.
Prior to joining USTR, Ms. Hamilton served as Supervisory Economist and Chief of the Asia-Africa Division at the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). In this position, she led the agency’s analysis of African and Asian trade and investment issues. During her tenure at the USITC, Ms. Hamilton directed and planned special research studies on a broad range of regional and trade topics, including free trade area agreements, trade with non-market economy countries, and industrial targeting.
Before joining the U.S. International Commission, Ms. Hamilton was an Economist with the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights where she developed methodologies and survey instruments for research into social and economic issues pertinent to the mission of the agency. Ms. Hamilton began her career as a Research Associate with the Urban Institute, a non-profit think tank specializing in research in the areas of public finance, economic development, and housing.
Ms. Hamilton holds a B.A. Degree in Economics and a Masters’ Degree in Economics from Howard University. She is co-author of numerous publications in the field of international trade.
