For thirty years, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has been at the forefront of infrastructure development across Africa. USTDA is leveraging this experience to help shape the future of infrastructure across the continent, working in equal partnership with Africa’s public and private sectors and U.S. industry.
USTDA’s grant funding for project preparation activities, including feasibility studies and technical assistance, helps define technical requirements, attract financing, and support the use of U.S. technologies and services in Kenya’s priority infrastructure projects. The Agency also connects Kenyan project sponsors with U.S. partners through its reverse trade missions, industry conferences, and expert workshops.
In carrying out its mission, USTDA places particular emphasis on vital economic sectors including clean energy, transportation, digital and healthcare infrastructure. USTDA’s current portfolio in Kenya consists of 11 ongoing infrastructure activities with the potential to unlock more than $971 million in financing and create more than $487 million in U.S. export opportunities to support infrastructure in emerging economies.
MULTI-SECTOR
Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value Technical Assistance for the Government of Kenya – USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative: Understanding Best Value (GPI) has approved funding for technical assistance to the Government of Kenya’s National Treasury. This new grant will support the development of a value-for-money procurement manual and a supplier’s guide. The technical assistance will build upon previous GPI trainings to help Kenyan procurement officials to consider value and the total cost of ownership in procurement, promoting the selection of longer-lasting and higher-quality infrastructure.
DIGITAL INFRASTUCTURE
USTDA prioritizes funding for connectivity projects as part of its Access Africainitiative, which supports quality digital infrastructure across the continent. Working with Africa’s public and private sectors, Access Africa brings together critical stakeholders and designs targeted programming to advance inclusive, secure, and sustainable connectivity.
Fiber Backbone and Access Network Expansion in East and Central Africa – USTDA is funding a feasibility study to help Kenya-based Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group Limited (BCS) expand its operations to provide new, affordable broadband network access to thousands of individuals across East and Central Africa. This grant will facilitate the expansion of BCS’s fiber backbone and access network in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda. In turn, the expansion will enable other internet service providers to make new investments that will provide affordable fixed wireless access for an even larger consumer market.This grant will be signed at the AmCham Business Summit Nairobi, Kenya on March 30th.
Africa Urban Internet Connectivity Expansion – USTDA announced funding for a feasibility study to support the expansion of affordable fixed wireless internet access to one million households in low-income urban communities across Africa. This grant supports Kenya-based internet service provider, Poa Internet Kenya Ltd, in deploying connectivity solutions to give underserved communities internet access that is both reliable and affordable.
Regional Sub-Saharan Africa Mawingu Networks Expansion – USTDA is supporting the expansion of broadband services in East Africa to help bridge the digital divide. A USTDA-funded feasibility study is helping Mawingu Networks Limited deploy new broadband services throughout rural and underserved areas in Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.
HEALTHCARE INFRASTUCTURE
In December 2022, USTDA launched the Coalition for Healthcare Infrastructure in Africa, a new initiative with U.S. industry that will take a wholistic approach toward addressing Africa’s healthcare infrastructure priorities. The Coalition’s goals are to facilitate healthcare accessibility for the underserved, develop a sector that is resilient in the face of the greatest public health challenges, and provide more Africans with access to the highest-quality healthcare products.
Kenya Hospital Association Medical Center Service Expansion and Digital Transformation – USTDA funded a feasibility study to help expand and improve healthcare access and services in Kenya. The study will support the Kenya Hospital Association’s intent to establish five medical centers in cities across Kenya, digitize its operations, and expand cancer treatment services at the Nairobi Hospital. This grant will be signed at the AmCham Business Summit Nairobi, Kenya on March 30th.
Africa Healthcare Regulatory Convergence Workshop Series – USTDA will host a five-part workshop series in 2023 to improve pharmaceutical and medical device quality and access across the continent. The Africa Regulatory Convergence for Healthcare Products Workshop Series will help African health officials to align the goals of their respective regulatory healthcare systems with each other and with international standards.
Healthcare Innovation Reverse Trade Mission Series – In August 2023, USTDA will bring a delegation of public and private healthcare institution representatives from Kenya and South Africa to the United States to meet with U.S. industry and government leaders and discuss U.S. best practices, solutions, and services in the healthcare sector. The visit will help identify U.S. business solutions to meet Africa’s health infrastructure needs in information technology, hospital infrastructure, and medical devices. A second visit is expected to host a delegation of healthcare professionals from Nigeria and Senegal.
CLEAN ENERGY/CLIMATE SMART INFRASTRUCTURE
USTDA launched its signature Global Partnership for Climate-Smart Infrastructure in 2021 to help put the world on a sustainable climate pathway by connecting U.S. industry to major clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects in emerging economies. USTDA is joined in this Global Climate Partnership by seven trade associations and four U.S. government departments and agencies. By the end of fiscal year 2022, USTDA had funded more than 50 activities under the partnership, designed to help unlock more than $65 billion in climate finance.
Kenya 50 MW Wind Power and Battery Storage Project – To reduce carbon emissions by providing alternatives to diesel and other polluting energy sources, USTDA is supporting the development of a 50-megawatt wind power plant in Kajiado, Kenya through a feasibility study grant to Craftskills Energy Limited. The study will also explore a battery energy storage solution that would give the plant more capacity and stability, which expands Kenya’s supply of reliable energy.
TRANSPORTATION
Aviation Reverse Trade Mission Series – USTDA funded two reverse trade missions for public and private sector partners from across Africa to help accelerate aviation modernization on the continent. The visits introduced the delegations to U.S. aviation technologies, services, and regulations, as well as financing mechanisms to support the implementation of large-scale aviation projects. The delegation included officials from the Kenyan Ministry of Transport, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, and Kenya Airports Authority.
AGRIBUSINESS
Kenya Pyrethrum Refined Extract Capacity Expansion – USTDA is funding a feasibility study for Nairobi-based Kentegra Biotechnology (EPZ) Limited to support development of a facility that will refine pyrethrum flowers into an organic insecticide. USTDA’s study is facilitating Kenya’s production to address the increasing international demand for safer and environmentally-friendlier insecticides