Full Name
Mr. Paul Ryberg
Job Title
President
Company
African Coalition of Trade
Speaker Bio
Paul Ryberg is a founding partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Ryberg and
Smith, L.L.C., where his practice focuses on international trade law, including in particular trade
between Africa and the United States, especially under the African Growth and Opportunity Act
(AGOA). Mr. Ryberg’s law practice also includes advising clients on agricultural trade, textile
and apparel trade, Customs issues affecting a variety of products and import programs, and
lobbying Congress on trade legislation. Prior to founding Ryberg and Smith, L.L.C. in 2000, Mr.
Ryberg was a partner in Pierson, Semmes and Bemis, L.L.P.
Mr. Ryberg is President and a Director of the African Coalition for Trade (ACT), a nonprofit trade association of African private sector entities dedicated to expanding U.S.-Africa
trade ties. ACT has been one of the leading spokespersons for the African private sector in the
development, enactment, implementation and amendment of AGOA. Mr. Ryberg has assisted a
number of AGOA beneficiary countries in developing the AGOA apparel visa system that is
required to export apparel under AGOA.
Mr. Ryberg has served as a member of the Steering Committee for many of the Private
Sector Sessions of the U.S. – Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum. He co-chaired the
AGOA Forum Private Sector Session of the first AGOA Forum to be held in Africa, which was
in Mauritius in 2003.
Mr. Ryberg has been a featured speaker or expert panelist at numerous conferences and
seminars on international trade law, including a series of AGOA trade capacity building
conferences sponsored by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in 2002 and a series of 11
AGOA training seminars presented by ACT in 2000 and 2001 in five countries in southern
Africa. Mr. Ryberg is the author of numerous articles in various publications on U.S.-Africa
trade and investment and on AGOA in particular. Mr. Ryberg is also the editor of the U.S.-
Africa Trade Report, a monthly publication of ACT.
Mr. Ryberg is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D. cum laude 1977) and
Wichita State University (B.A. summa cum laude 1974).
Smith, L.L.C., where his practice focuses on international trade law, including in particular trade
between Africa and the United States, especially under the African Growth and Opportunity Act
(AGOA). Mr. Ryberg’s law practice also includes advising clients on agricultural trade, textile
and apparel trade, Customs issues affecting a variety of products and import programs, and
lobbying Congress on trade legislation. Prior to founding Ryberg and Smith, L.L.C. in 2000, Mr.
Ryberg was a partner in Pierson, Semmes and Bemis, L.L.P.
Mr. Ryberg is President and a Director of the African Coalition for Trade (ACT), a nonprofit trade association of African private sector entities dedicated to expanding U.S.-Africa
trade ties. ACT has been one of the leading spokespersons for the African private sector in the
development, enactment, implementation and amendment of AGOA. Mr. Ryberg has assisted a
number of AGOA beneficiary countries in developing the AGOA apparel visa system that is
required to export apparel under AGOA.
Mr. Ryberg has served as a member of the Steering Committee for many of the Private
Sector Sessions of the U.S. – Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum. He co-chaired the
AGOA Forum Private Sector Session of the first AGOA Forum to be held in Africa, which was
in Mauritius in 2003.
Mr. Ryberg has been a featured speaker or expert panelist at numerous conferences and
seminars on international trade law, including a series of AGOA trade capacity building
conferences sponsored by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in 2002 and a series of 11
AGOA training seminars presented by ACT in 2000 and 2001 in five countries in southern
Africa. Mr. Ryberg is the author of numerous articles in various publications on U.S.-Africa
trade and investment and on AGOA in particular. Mr. Ryberg is also the editor of the U.S.-
Africa Trade Report, a monthly publication of ACT.
Mr. Ryberg is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D. cum laude 1977) and
Wichita State University (B.A. summa cum laude 1974).
Speaking At
