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Ebola Makes West Africa A No-Go Zone For Washington Investment Officers

Map of Ebola outbreak distribution. The director of the Washington State Investment Board says she will not authorize travel to West Africa.
CDC
Map of Ebola outbreak distribution. The director of the Washington State Investment Board says she will not authorize travel to West Africa.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa means Washington state investment officers won’t be traveling to that region anytime soon.

Map of Ebola outbreak distribution. The director of the Washington State Investment Board says she will not authorize travel to West Africa.
Credit CDC
/
CDC
Map of Ebola outbreak distribution. The director of the Washington State Investment Board says she will not authorize travel to West Africa.

Theresa Whitmarsh, executive director of the Washington State Investment Board, said her staff hasn’t been to West Africa in quite some time. And at this point she won’t authorize travel there because of Ebola.

“We don’t intend to send staff to West Africa until we have a better feel for the kind of controls they have on the ground there,” Whitmarsh said.

Whitmarsh adds that Africa, in general, holds potential as an emerging investment market. Currently less than 1 percent of the state of Washington’s investments are in Africa.

Copyright 2014 Northwest News Network

Since January 2004, Austin Jenkins has been the Olympia-based political reporter for the Northwest News Network. In that position, Austin covers Northwest politics and public policy, as well as the Washington State Legislature. You can also see Austin on television as host of TVW's (the C–SPAN of Washington State) Emmy-nominated public affairs program "Inside Olympia."