2024 Benjamin Joy Award Recognizes Outstanding Economic and Commercial Diplomacy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Contact: Office of Public Affairs
Email: publicaffairs@trade.gov
Phone: 202-482-3809

*Update 04/09/24: Additional bureau contributions mentioned.

WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, April 2, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service Arun Venkataraman, and Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Ramin Toloui, along with Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Sarah Morgenthau, hosted the 2024 Benjamin Joy Awards at the U.S. Department of State. The awards recognize outstanding examples of interagency collaboration with U.S. embassies that benefit U.S. companies abroad and advance our nation’s economic and commercial agenda. 

This year’s winners, the U.S. Embassy Nassau in The Bahamas and the U.S. Embassy Nairobi in Kenya demonstrated exceptional collaborative leadership to level the playing field for U.S. companies. The U.S. Embassy Nassau was awarded for securing an $85 million contract for a U.S. telecom company to lead the expansion of critical telecommunications infrastructure across the country. The U.S. Embassy Nairobi in Kenya demonstrated outstanding leadership by identifying and implementing investment climate reforms with the Kenyan government that facilitated a new approach to commercial-economic diplomacy, boosting two-way trade and investment which positioned U.S. companies for continued growth in the market. 

The 2024 Benjamin Joy Award finalists were both U.S. Department of Commerce Foreign Commercial Service Officers, with support from the International Trade Administration’s Industry and Analysis unit and the Bureau of Industry and Security, and the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Officers from posts around the world, including Norway, Kenya, Zambia, Kosovo, Vietnam and The Bahamas.  

The award’s namesake, Benjamin Joy, appointed in 1792 by President George Washington as the first American Consul and Commercial Agent to India, was an early exemplar of U.S. commercial and economic diplomacy. Today, there are over 200 U.S. diplomatic outposts helping to strengthen the United States’ economic and commercial relationships around the world. This prestigious award serves as a testament to the impact of joint efforts by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State to advance America’s economic interests on the global stage. 
 

About the International Trade Administration
The International Trade Administration (ITA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce is the premier resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace. Operating in more than 100 U.S. locations and 80 markets worldwide, ITA promotes trade and investment, assists U.S. businesses and workers to export and expand globally, and ensures fair trade and compliance by enforcing U.S. trade laws and agreements. For more information on ITA, visit www.trade.gov.