Bogotá, Colombia – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency announced the renewal of its partnership with Colombia’s National Agency for Public Procurement, Colombia Compra Eficiente, to support the development of high-quality public infrastructure through value-for-money training. Under USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value (GPI), USTDA and Colombia Compra Eficiente signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will deepen a bilateral partnership on procurement best practices that began in 2016.
“Renewing USTDA’s partnership with Colombia builds on our history of strong collaboration to build better, high-quality and resilient infrastructure,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Acting Director. “The Government of Colombia has made great strides over the last few years at the federal, state, and local levels. Their public procurement officials have utilized the GPI to great effect and have shown a lasting commitment to improve transparency, international competition, and use of best practices in public procurement.”
Under the partnership with Colombia Compra Eficiente, USTDA will support trainings on international best practices and the integration of best value methodologies. The trainings will be carried out in coordination with the George Washington University Law School’s Government Procurement Law program and U.S. expert practitioners with extensive procurement experience in government, the private sector and higher education. This second stage of USTDA’s partnership with Colombia Compra Eficiente will deepen Colombia’s workforce professionalization efforts, as well as focus on improving the use of analytical tools such as life-cycle cost analysis and other sector-specific procurement best practices.
“Our renewed partnership with USTDA will deepen our countries’ long history of collaboration to secure better procurement outcomes and make sound, competitive investments,” said José Andrés O’Meara Riveira, Director General of Colombia Compra Eficiente, “Public procurement is critical to delivering goods and services to Colombian citizens, and the integration of best practices such as life-cycle cost analysis results in increased integrity, efficiency, and value.”
Since 2013, USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value has assisted public officials in emerging economies to better understand the total cost of ownership of goods and services for infrastructure projects. The Initiative now includes 12 partner countries, and USTDA continues to review requests from additional countries to participate in the GPI.
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The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.
MEDIA INQUIRIES: Paul Marin | (703) 875-4357
Brasília, Brazil – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded two grants to Brazil’s National Association of Passenger Rail Operators, Associação Nacional dos Transportadores de Passageiros sobre Trilhos (ANPTrilhos), to strengthen rail networks that serve nearly 10 million passengers each day. USTDA’s grants will fund the development of two technical assistance plans – one for energy efficiency and the other for enterprise asset management – helping Brazil’s passenger rail operators emerge stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic and better able to meet the demands of their customers.
“ANPTrilhos’ vision for a safer and more energy efficient passenger rail system is one that USTDA is proud to support,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Acting Director. “U.S. companies offer world-leading solutions in this space and are eager to partner with Brazil as it continues transforming its rail infrastructure to meet the demands of its customers. Our collaboration with ANPTrilhos is helping to make that happen.”
Brazil’s passenger rail operators are prioritizing solutions that will reduce costs and improve energy efficiency across their entire rail systems. In addition, the recent expansion of Brazil’s passenger rail systems has increased the need for more efficient management of rail assets. USTDA’s technical assistance program with ANPTrilhos will help plan and implement a range of information and communications technology investments to optimize the maintenance of the systems, as well as identify energy efficiency solutions that are specific to the needs of Brazil’s operators.
“Public passenger transport has experienced a severe crisis worldwide,” said ANPTrilhos CEO Joubert Flores. “Our cooperation with USTDA will improve efficiency and reduce costs related to asset and energy management, preparing Brazil’s passenger rail systems for a faster recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.”
U.S. businesses interested in submitting proposals for the USTDA-funded technical assistance should visit www.ustda.gov/work/bid-on-an-overseas-project.
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The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.
MEDIA INQUIRIES: Paul Marin | (703) 875-4357
Arlington, VA – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency announced it has funded a feasibility study to connect more than 100,000 households in rural Cameroon to solar-powered minigrids that will utilize innovative battery storage technology. The grantee, Renewable Energy Innovators Cameroon (REIc), is working on the project in partnership with SimpliPhi Power, a California-based provider of energy storage systems. This is USTDA’s first minigrid activity in Cameroon.
“This project illustrates how USTDA is tackling the climate crisis by engaging both overseas partners and U.S. industry to deliver clean energy solutions to underserved communities,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Acting Director. “USTDA’s engagement in REIc’s ambitious project will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of Cameroonians. For U.S. companies, our engagement will help them enter a new market and supply the innovative technologies that will be needed to build minigrids across Cameroon.”
Under USTDA’s grant, SimpliPhi Power will conduct the technical, regulatory, financial and legal analyses necessary to develop up to 134 solar-powered minigrids. SimpliPhi will execute the feasibility study in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, and Virginia-based Morua Power. The study will also include the design and monitoring of a minigrid pilot project.
U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Cameroon, Vernelle Trim FitzPatrick, said: “We are proud that American companies will be part of developing new solutions to meet Cameroon’s energy needs. Such partnership creates synergy for flexible, sustainable, and locally tailored results. This is just one of the many ways the United States is partnering to support Cameroon’s prosperity, security and development.”
Jude Numfor, Managing Director of REIc, noted: “With several years of extensive research and piloting of minigrids in Cameroon, USTDA’s assistance comes at a critical time, as it will mature our plans to provide access to electricity to more than 760 off-grid villages in Cameroon in the next few years. Thanks to our partnership with USTDA, REIc is better positioned to achieve its mission of making available clean and affordable electricity as a tool to faster sustainable development.”
Jesse Gerstin, Director of Sustainable Business Development for SimpliPhi Power, remarked: “SimpliPhi is excited to work with organizations that share our commitment to delivering energy access for communities that will benefit most. As a mission-driven U.S. manufacturer and leader in sustainable energy storage technology, we believe that access to clean and affordable energy is fundamental to economic growth, social equity and environmental responsibility, and look forward to supporting REIc in leading this rural electrification initiative in Cameroon.”
Power Africa Coordinator Mark Carrato added: “Over the past two years, Power Africa has worked closely with Cameroon’s Ministry of Water Resources and Energy and Cameroon’s energy regulatory agency, ARSEL, to streamline minigrid licensing procedures and increase private sector participation in the country’s blossoming minigrid sector. Our collaborative efforts are contributing to an improved enabling environment for private investment, opening up new opportunities for qualified minigrid developers and equipment suppliers including U.S. manufacturers. This feasibility study represents another important milestone for rural energy access in Cameroon.”
USTDA now has a global portfolio of more than 20 minigrid activities that are deploying innovative Made-in-America solutions to address energy access and security in remote and underserved areas in emerging markets.
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The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.
MEDIA INQUIRIES: Paul Marin | (703) 875-4357
Abuja, Nigeria– Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency announced a grant to Nigeria’s Sosai Renewable Energies Company for a feasibility study to connect more than 200,000 women, farmers, and rural citizens to new solar-powered minigrids in Kaduna, Kogi and Plateau states.
“USTDA is committed to promoting inclusive economic development, and bringing clean energy solutions to rural communities is an important component of our approach,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Acting Director. “Women entrepreneurs like [Sosai CEO] Habiba Ali are setting a vision for Nigeria’s energy future that USTDA enthusiastically supports.”
The USTDA-funded feasibility study will include site surveys, preliminary engineering, economic and financial analyses and an assessment of the project’s likely developmental impacts on rural women. USTDA’s study also will create business opportunities for U.S. equipment and services suppliers in Nigeria’s minigrid sector, while supporting up to 20 megawatts of new solar power in rural communities.
“This announcement is emblematic of the U.S.-Nigeria relationship as the USTDA grant supports the development of energy for productive use and promotes inclusion for women and rural dwellers. Working together, we can solve today’s greatest challenges through projects like this,” said Mary Beth Leonard, U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Sosai CEO Habiba Ali added: “This USTDA grant will support a huge step forward for Nigeria in meeting its rural electrification goals as well as kick-start life changing projects for communities, women, economic development and the agricultural sector. For Sosai, the benefit of the USTDA grant to our company is immense, positioning us for greater growth and greater possibilities in the future.”
This project supports the U.S. government’s Power Africa and Prosper Africa Initiatives, President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad and the global “2X Challenge” – an initiative by development finance institutions to invest in and create inclusive opportunities for women.
In Nigeria, USTDA has supported the successful roll-out of minigrids and microgrids in rural and peri-urban communities using U.S. technology. The Agency has an active portfolio of three other ongoing solar minigrid activities in Nigeria. Collectively, we expect these projects to support energy access for more than 66,000 households in Nigeria and help Nigeria meet its goal of universal electrification.
U.S. businesses interested in submitting proposals for the USTDA-funded feasibility study should visit https://ustda.gov/work/bid-on-an-overseas-project/. Proposals are due April 16, 2021 at 11:00 EDT / 17:00 WAT.
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The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.
MEDIA INQUIRIES: Paul Marin | (703) 875-4357
Arlington, VA – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency launched the Caribbean Regional Energy Procurement Assistance Program to support the development of high-quality energy infrastructure in eight Caribbean countries. The Program is supported under USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value and represents a new U.S. government partnership with the Governments of Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname. The Program will deliver targeted procurement training to officials who manage energy sector investments in these island nations to ensure they receive the best value from their investments.
“The GPI is an innovative and proven tool that has empowered procurement officials around the world to make stronger, value-based decisions and secure a future of high-quality infrastructure,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Acting Director. “This cooperation with our Caribbean neighbors will help maximize quality and value in their upcoming energy investments, which is crucial to economic development, access to power, environmental sustainability and infrastructure resilience.”
Under the Program, USTDA will lead trainings and study tours both virtually and in the United States on international public procurement best practices and the integration of best value methodologies. Trainings will be carried out in coordination with U.S. expert practitioners with extensive procurement experience in government, the private sector and higher education. Additionally, USTDA will host a high-level virtual forum on achieving value for money in energy infrastructure for policymakers and procurement decisionmakers, with an emphasis on sustainability, development and innovation.
Since 2013, USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative has assisted public officials in emerging economies to better understand the total cost of ownership of goods and services for infrastructure projects. The Initiative now includes 12 partner countries.
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The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.
MEDIA INQUIRIES: Paul Marin | (703) 875-4357
