Physical Trade Infrastructure - United States of America

The infrastructure component of the AGCI aims to provide timely, targeted technical assistance and expertise to help overcome constraints and leverage non-USAID funds to finance infrastructure projects. USAID has partnerships with a range of national government agencies, regional institutions and the private sector with a view: to improving the enabling environment for private investment in infrastructure; to improving regulator capacity to design and manage complex infrastructure projects; and to bringing projects to financial closure. To advance its aims, the infrastructure component works in several ways to help overcome infrastructure constraints, including: (i) partnering with private companies and other infrastructure initiatives focused on Africa; (ii) serving as an analytic leader in developing regional infrastructure solutions, including through supporting sub-Saharan Africa’s power pools and transport corridors; (iii) drawing on technical expertise from other U.S. Government (USG) agencies where appropriate; and (iv) fielding a broad range of technical experts to advance infrastructure projects on a demand-driven basis. Launched in 2006, AGCI contributions to overcoming African infrastructure constraints have included helping to conclude late-stage transactions in energy investment, expanding access to ICT, and conducting the technical analyses and capacity building needed to create efficient transport corridors and cross-border customs administration.

For more information: http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/initiatives/infrastructure_ constraints.pdf and http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/initiatives/infrastructure.html

This is a programme set up by USAID under the African Global Competitiveness Initiative (AGCI) . AIP aims to develop new African electricity sources. It will support both electricity generation and transmission transactions in the advanced stages of development. The programme seeks to help commercially viable and environmentally sound electricity projects overcome barriers preventing their reaching financial closure and construction. It provides funding and experts in non-recourse project finance to help advance sub-Saharan African projects. Typical AIP support includes:

(i) capacity-building assistance in the areas of policy/investment framework, regulatory reform, tariff formulation, sample contract terms, and intermittence/integration analysis;

(ii) project support and transaction advisory assistance in technical, financial, commercial, regulatory, legal, and environmental areas related to project structuring, risk mitigation, financial engineering, contract negotiation support, stakeholder mobilization, and funds mobilization. Currently, AIP is working in Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Namibia, and Kenya. Major AIP initiatives include, amongst others: Ghana: Tema IPP – support to GRIDCo; Ghana: technical assistance to the Ministry of Energy; Namibia: support to ECB in wind energy; Nigeria: energy and climate change – gas flaring reduction; Botswana: Mmamabula Coal-to-Power.

This is a 3-year cooperative agreement with The Asia Foundation to undertake activities to support implementation of reforms in key policy issues aimed at promoting growth, investment and competitiveness of the Philippines. The project will work for the better provision of key infrastructure, improve the performance of logistics and economic hubs; and support other economic reforms to improve the country’s investment climate and competitiveness.

The Rural Roads Project will directly support the Program Strategic Transformation de L’Agriculture (Strategic Plan for the Agriculture transformation) sub-program objective of improving market oriented rural infrastructure. This project will expand access to transporters, input suppliers, purchasers, and technical services in previously underserved areas.