Expanded engagement for Caterpillar: Boosting sales and alleviating poverty

makamuki0 via [[https://pixabay.com/en/excavator-caterpillar-shovel-1296399/ pixabay]]</span>WASHINGTON, US - A strong signal of growing business engagement with Africa by large US corporations was the announcement last September by Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman of plans to invest over $1b in Africa over the next five years. Caterpillar is not a new-comer, having begun doing business on the continent in 1926. At last month's US-Africa Business Summit in Washington, DC, David Picard, Caterpillar's regional manager for Africa and the Middle East, described some of the steps that have been taken since last year's announcement. He also talked about the challenges and opportunities he sees, including Nigeria, where the company has operated since 1948. He was interviewed by AllAfrica's Noluthando Crockett-Ntonga and Ladi Olorunyomi from Premium Times in Nigeria. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.