Rosa Whitaker | |
|---|---|
 Rosa Whitaker in 2019 | |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | American University, Washington, D.C. |
| Occupation(s) | CEO and President of the Whitaker Group |
| Spouse | Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams (m. 2008) |
Rosa Whitaker Duncan-Williams is an American former trade negotiator who served as the first Assistant US Trade Representative for Africa in the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. [1] She now runs a consulting firm, The Whitaker Group. [2]
While serving as a Senior Trade Advisor to Congressman Charlie Rangel, Whitaker helped write the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which was enacted in 2000. AGOA, America’s first comprehensive trade law towards Africa, remains the basis of US economic policy towards Africa. It has delivered billions of dollars in duty-free products from Africa into the US market annually while also generating jobs and investments across the continent.
Whitaker also co-founded and co-chaired the bipartisan advocacy group, AGOA Action Coalition, with Jack Kemp.
Whitaker launched The Whitaker Group after leaving USTR in 2003. The Whitaker Group, based in Northern Virginia and Accra, Ghana, advises clients on transactions and strategy for trade, investment, and project development across Africa. Founded in 2003, TWG has attracted clients from among Fortune 500 companies interested in both commercial and human development in Africa.
In 2017, Whitaker led TWG into its first direct investment in Africa, acquiring shares and management control of Dominion TV – a Pan-African television, entertainment and multimedia company that broadcast in 48 African countries on DStv, Africa’s largest satellite platform.
Whitaker was born in Washington, D.C., and holds Master's and bachelor's degrees from American University in Washington, D.C., and studied in the United Kingdom and Italy as well at the Foreign Service Institute.
Whitaker appears frequently on the public speaking circuit and has lectured at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National Defense University. She is a guest columnist for AllAfrica.com, [3] and has had opinion pieces published in a variety of publications including the Wall Street Journal, [4] The Hill, [5] Inside U.S. Trade, The Africa Report and U.S. News & World Report. She is an expert on business, trade and investment in Africa in a variety of venues and has been a guest on broadcasts on ABC News, [6] CNN, [7] the BBC [8] and Bloomberg. [9]
She currently serves as a director on the US Chamber of Commerce’s Board. Until March 2021, she served as President of Mercy Ships International, a global faith-based charity operating the world's largest private hospital ship providing medical care to the poorest of the poor in Africa. For more than a decade she served as a member of the Executive Board of Directors of Mercy Ships. [2]
In 2005, Whitaker became embroiled in a controversy over her firm's lobbying relationship with the Ugandan government. The Whitaker Group had been contracted by Uganda to improve the country's international image at a cost of $350,000 per year, making it one of the first prominent firms tasked with managing Uganda's public relations abroad. [15] [16] [17]