[3] In 2001, President Fradique de Menezes accepted $100,000 from the Environmental Remediation Holding Corporation (ERHC), an American oil company involved in offshore exploration, but stated that the money was a legitimate campaign contribution.

[4] In August 2002 the BBC reported that São Tomé and Príncipe had agreed to host a US naval base to protect its oil interests.

[8] In July 2005, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter with a crew of 100 visited São Tomé and Príncipe in a public relations exercise.

[10] In November 2007 the United States and São Tomé and Príncipe signed a Millennium Challenge Corporation Threshold Program agreement worth US$8.66 million, designed to help the country improve its fiscal policy indicators by streamlining business registration processes, tax and customs administration.

[12] The U.S. government also maintains a number of smaller assistance programs in São Tomé, administered through non-governmental organizations or the Embassy in Luanda.

[1] According to the U.S. Department of State, foreign assistance to São Tomé and Príncipe is focused on improving the professionalism and capacity of the country’s small military and coast guard and enhancing its maritime security efforts.

[13] Although the two nations do not have a bilateral investment treaty or a taxation agreement, São Tomé and Príncipe is eligible for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

[15] São Tomé and Príncipe exported $871k to the United States, with key products being integrated circuits, washing and bottling machines, and coconut oil.