U.S. grant supports West African intermodal development

U.S. grant supports West African intermodal development    The U.S. Trade and Development Agency announced a $750,000 grant for the West African Economic and Monetary Union to support its feasibility study on a proposed rail line connecting cargo points in the Western Africa region.
   The rail line will operate from Bamako, Mali, to the country's southeastern border with Cote d'Ivoire and provide a link for landlocked Burkina Faso and Niger to Senegal's Port of Dakar.
   USTDA Acting Director Leocadia I. Zak announced the grant last week at the eighth annual African Growth and Opportunity Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. 'By looking broadly at issues that cross borders and pooling ideas and resources, countries can strengthen their connections to the global market and better utilize the trade benefits under AGOA as a catalyst for growth,' Zak said in a statement.
   The grant was awarded under USTDA's African Trade Lanes Partnership, which is designed to promote regional cooperation and connectivity in all transport modes, including aviation, maritime, land and rail.
   In addition to the grant agreement, Zak announced the launching of a regional intermodal transportation training program. The three-week program will include delegates from Ghana, Kenya, Liberia and Tanzania, who will attend courses at the Global Maritime and Transportation School at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in New York. The delegates will also meet with U.S. suppliers and visit a number of maritime ports to see U.S. technologies in operation.
   The USTDA grant to the West African Economic and Monetary Union will be competed on through the Federal Business Opportunities Web site. A link to the FBO announcement will be posted on the USTDA's Web site. The West African Economic and Monetary Union will select the U.S. firm to conduct the study.
   In other efforts to improve African trade, Zak said USTDA intends to award a grant to the Namibia Airports Co. to fund a feasibility study on updates to the master plan for Hosea Kutako International and Eros airports. This agreement will be signed as early as this week. Zak also announced USTDA's intention to award a grant for a feasibility study that will assess the systems and requirements for the Uganda Department of Meteorology.
   In the customs arena, Zak announced USTDA's plans under the agency's Global Customs Initiative to fund a training program on customs modernization for the East African Community. USTDA started the initiative in 2006 to improve host country policies, procedures and regional cooperation; integrate participating countries more closely into the global trading environment; and enhance the global trade and investment climate.