USTDA Regional Brief - Sub-Saharan Africa

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) places a high priority on sub-Saharan Africa in supporting projects designed to facilitate economic development. In fact, one of the agency's first grants was signed in Tanzania in 1981. Since then, USTDA has invested over $90 million in the region, which have resulted in over $1 billion in U.S. exports associated with partnerships between African project sponsors and U.S. firms. The downstream impact of USTDA funding is expected to increase substantially as more projects move toward implementation. As the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) continues to raise interest in African private sector expansion, USTDA expects a continued demand for its specialized funding services in the region.

USTDA advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, early investment analysis, training, reverse trade missions and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment. USTDA's strategic use of foreign assistance funds to support sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development.

The following list describes some recent projects USTDA has supported in sub-Saharan Africa:

Regional

East African Community e-Health Workshop – Scheduled for fall 2010 in Kigali, Rwanda, this technical workshop will bring together decision-makers from both the public and private sectors responsible for overseeing and delivering healthcare solutions to the five EAC countries (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda) to learn about policy issues, technology issues and broadband solutions that will enable them to improve healthcare infrastructure and delivery via the use of broadband technology.

Southern Africa Solar Power Technologies – This reverse trade mission will include up to 15 public and private sector representatives from Southern Africa’s solar power sector (Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa). The objectives of the mission are to foster the implementation of solar power projects in Southern Africa using U.S. technologies. The mission will expose the delegates to innovative U.S. technologies, equipment, and services, as well as policies, regulations, and financing mechanisms to support the implementation of large-scale solar projects in Southern Africa. The visit will likely take place in October 2010.

Sub-Saharan Africa Aviation Safety and Security Conference – This conference promoted advanced U.S. technical approaches and collaboration in sub-Saharan Africa’s rapidly growing aviation market, and encouraged high-level dialogue to address key issues related to air traffic management and control, aviation security, and airspace utilization throughout the region. The aim of this conference was to sustain the long-term strategic and commercial relationship between the sub-Saharan African and U.S. aviation industries.

Intermodal Transportation and Trade Training – USTDA funded a $455,000 training program to provide senior port managers from Liberia, Ghana, Tanzania, and Kenya the opportunity to attend a three-week training course on intermodal infrastructure management at the Merchant Marine Academy in New York. The course will be followed by a one-week reverse trade mission in which the delegates will have the opportunity to meet with U.S. suppliers of port services and equipment, and visit U.S. ports to see U.S. technologies and management practices in their operating environments.

Angola

Electricity Distribution Rehabilitation and Hydropower Development – USTDA provided $626,850 to fund technical assistance to the Angolan Ministry of Energy and Water Affairs (MEWA) to help develop master plans for two interior cities, Cuchi and Luena, to implement a modern electricity distribution system with increased generation capacity from small hydroelectric plants. Angola is prioritizing more efficient means of power generation and distribution to spur economic growth. Partnership International was selected as the contractor to provide the technical assistance.

Botswana

Mmamabula Coal-Fired Power Plant – USTDA provided a $368,270 grant to fund financial advisory assistance to the Ministry of Minerals, Energy, and Water Resources. The purpose is to provide advice to the Ministry on the financial and economic viability of developing an export power station at the Mmamabula site. The assistance also includes providing strategic advice on how to develop a financing plan for the power plant. Delphos International is providing this technical assistance.

Cameroon

Limbe Gas to Electricity Technical Assistance – This $695,000 technical assistance, approved in 2008, will assist the Government of Cameroon’s Ministry of Energy and Water Resources to unite the parties involved in the Limbe Gas-To-Electricity Project to develop the commercial off-shore gas reserves, as well as evaluate the feasibility of a 400 MW combined power plant. The feasibility study will examine the conversion to gas of an existing 85 MW heavy fuel-oil burning reciprocating power plant and the concomitant green-field construction of a 315 MW combined cycle gas-turbine power plant. In addition, the study will examine the transformer banks and power lines needed to deliver the power generated to the national power grid. The resulting plant will to alleviate severe seasonal electricity shortages that have depressed Cameroon’s GDP.

Ghana

Kotoka International Airport Air Traffic Control Center – USTDA is providing a $295,000 grant to the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority for a feasibility study to recommend a location and the technical specifications for a new Air Traffic Control Center (ATCC) at Kotoka International Airport. Robinson Aviation was competitively selected to perform the study.

Expansion of Meteorological Services – USTDA is providing $235,000 to fund the cost of a feasibility study to assist the Ghana Meteorological Department in improving the collection, analysis, and dissemination of meteorological data to aviation, agricultural, and other users across throughout the country. IM Systems Group was selected perform the study.

Mali

Waste to Energy Plant – USTDA is providing funding of $371,000 to partially fund a Feasibility Study to assess the technical and financial feasibility of constructing, financing and operating a 25MW waste to energy (WTE) power plant, as well as operating an upgraded waste management system designed to assure sufficient feedstock to the WTE plant in Bamako, Mali. This WTE plant would supply electricity to 40,000 homes, produce commodity by-products for sale, and greatly reduce the trash on the streets of the capital city.

Namibia

Independent Power Producer (IPP) and Investment Market Framework – USTDA has sponsored two technical assistance grants to the Namibian Electricity Control Board (ECB), the electricity regulatory body of Namibia. Under the first grant, USTDA provided $275,000 to fund Phase I technical assistance in the development of a formalized electricity market model that will facilitate investment by the private sector into Namibia’s energy market. In Phase II, USTDA provided $423,790 to facilitate the establishment of commercially viable IPP projects in Namibia by enabling ECB to perform the regulatory functions necessary for issuing licenses for IPP projects. CORE International provided the technical assistance.

Nigeria

Nigeria Secure Banking Information Technology – The goal of this reverse trade mission is to bring ten decision makers from the Central Bank of Nigeria to the United States to meet with U.S. sources of supply as the Central Bank plans to upgrade its network security to enable secure electronic transactions. The visit, which took place in April 2010, included meetings with the U.S. Federal Reserve to discuss best practices and with U.S. technology providers.

Kiri Dam Hydroelectric Power Plant – USTDA is providing funding in the amount of $467,000 for a feasibility study on the development of a hydroelectric power plant at the existing Kiri Dam. The project will assess the feasibility of building a 35 MW hydroelectric power plant at the Kiri Dam in the northeastern State of Adamawa in Nigeria. The study will cover the technical and economic aspects of the plant’s construction, the transmission line to the national grid, and an independent transmission line from the plant to Yola.

Rwanda

Rwanda: Banque Nationale Du Rwanda (BNR) ICT Modernization – USTDA is providing a grant to assist BNR in building the technical capabilities to provide real-time cash balance information to Rwanda’s policymakers. These capabilities will build capacity for more effective fiscal policy formulation and budget execution at the Ministry of Finance.

South Africa

Energy Efficient Building Solutions – This $269,374 training is designed to explore opportunities for large South African commercial and public-sector power consumers to save money and reduce their electricity requirements by using energy efficient technologies, equipment, and processes. The training includes a one-day technical workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa, and an reverse trade mission that will span approximately eight business days. Global Marketing and Communications is arranging the training.

Tanzania

Bank of Tanzania ICT Modernization – This Technical Assistance grant will provide a roadmap for ICT modernization that will allow BOT to significantly increase its efficiency and effectiveness as it serves its critical role of maintaining price stability and carries out its other central banking functions.

Capacity Building for the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority – This $623,580 technical assistance project is aimed at supporting efforts to promote private investment and growth in the Tanzania’s energy sector. The grant to the Tanzanian Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) will be used to assist in establishing operational protocols in the implementation and enforcement of electricity, petroleum and natural gas regulations based on international best practices.

Uganda

Balancing Biofuels and Food Security – This $527,280 technical assistance activity is to support the Ugandan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) in preparing a strategy and regulatory structure for the development of an indigenous biofuels industry in Uganda. Uganda is currently facing an energy crisis, as drought has severely reduced the capacity of its hydroelectric power production, and rising oil prices have increased the costs of transport and thermal power production. NOVI Energy was competitively selected to perform the study.

Zambia

Airports Master Plan Feasibility Study – USTDA is providing $725,000 to the Zambian Ministry of Transport to develop a master plan for the four international airports of Lusaka, Livingstone, Ndola, and Mfuwe. The study will design an implementation plan for the improvement and rehabilitation of the four airports. The Government of Zambia (GOZ) has placed the highest priority on the development of these four airports for 2006-2010. Jacobs Consulting was selected to perform this study.