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WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. exporters attending the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) Annual Conference April 12-13 at the Omni-Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. will have access to detailed information about billions of dollars of acquisitions that are on the horizon in key industry sectors around the world.

This new feature of the conference will take the form of Discussions in the Round with U.S. and foreign government and private sector experts providing specific information about project opportunities in the Middle East, Africa and for Panama Canal expansion, as well as a workshop on ways to increase U.S. service exports. Sufficient time will be set aside at these sessions for exporters to talk with discussion leaders.

In addition to the superb networking opportunities and updated information about Ex-Im Bank financing tools that the Bank's Annual Conference always provides, this added feature will offer U.S. exporters detailed information about infrastructure projects that are in the planning stages in important emerging markets, and how U.S. exporters can participate, said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President James H. Lambright.

• Project Opportunities in the Middle East - An estimated $1 trillion of new public and private sector infrastructure projects are currently or will soon be under development in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and other countries of the region. This includes an estimated $100 billion in power and desalinization projects and over $320 billion in petrochemical, oil and gas, and Independent Water and Power Project projects in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries alone. Terry A. Newendorp, chairman and CEO, Taylor-DeJongh, Inc., and other Middle East experts at this session will focus on opportunities and potential issues relating to the large expansion.
• The Panama Canal Expansion Project - In 2008, the Panama Canal will undergo its first major expansion at an estimated cost of $5.25 billion. U.S. and Panamanian officials, including the leadership of the Panama Canal Authority, the institution directly responsible for overseeing the project, will brief participants on opportunities for U.S. engineering, construction and sub-supplier firms to participate in the contract awards. Discussion participants include Ricuarte Vasquez, president, Board of Directors, and minister of Canal Affairs, Panama Canal Authority; His Excellency Federico A. Humbert, ambassador of the Republic of Panama to the United States; and Panamanian Ambassador (former) Juan B. Sosa, president, U.S.-Panama Business Council.
• Project Opportunities in Africa - Since 2004, the World Bank and the African Development Bank (ADB) have approved almost $25 billion in financing to public and private sector borrowers to develop infrastructure and commercial opportunities. Ex-Im Bank in recent years has worked cooperatively with these institutions to identify and support project opportunities for U.S. exporters. Demba Ba, director, Private Sector Development Branch, Africa Group, World Bank; and Ini Urua, director, New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Division, ADB, will outline procurement opportunities that are in their institutions' pipelines including project specific information and guidance on registering to explore these opportunities.
  
  Ex-Im Bank Director Bijan Kian will lead a workshop on New Horizons in Exporting U.S. Services on April 12, from 10:50 a.m.-12:15 p.m.:
  
  
• Export Opportunities for Service Providers — They aren't made of metal and they don't require elaborate packaging, but U.S. services are just as valuable to international buyers as the tangible goods that we usually associate with the word export. Director Kian will lead an interactive discussion on ways to increase exporting opportunities for U.S.-based service providers. He will be joined by Ana Guevara, U.S. Commerce Department (DOC) deputy assistant secretary for Services, and other senior representatives from the DOC Foreign Commercial Service, as well as U.S. companies with specific experience in exporting services.

The Ex-Im Bank conference also will feature keynote presentations by other international trade leaders including Li Ruogo, chairman and president of China Eximbank in Beijing.

Information about Ex-Im Bank's Annual Conference, including online registration, accommodations, and program details, is available at (pages expired).

Ex-Im Bank is an independent U.S. government agency that assists in financing the export of U.S. goods and services to markets around the world, through export credit insurance, loan guarantees, and direct loans. In fiscal year 2006, Ex-Im Bank authorized over $12.1 billion in transactions supporting an estimated $16.1 billion in U.S. exports.