Sao Tome & Principe receive U.S. grants for seaport and airport studies

Sao Tome & Principe receive U.S. grants for seaport and airport studies    The Sao Tome & Principe government received U.S. grants to conduct studies to modernize its seaport and airport operations.
   The grants, which were issued by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, total $450,000 for the seaport study and $350,000 for the airport study.
   “The deepwater port construction and airport expansion projects are designed to make Sao Tome & Principe more accessible to trade and travel,” said the USTDA in a statement. “Currently, the lack of a deepwater port and the limited capacity of the airport hinder the country’s economic growth and development.”
   The problem for Sao Tome & Principe is that oceangoing ships must anchor more than a mile offshore, while small lighter vessels transport cargo to a single pier at the country’s shallow draft port. Once at the pier, shipments are individually offloaded into a small, overcrowded receiving area.
   Air transport for cargo is constrained by the existing airport facilities on Sao Tome, which do not meet international standards.
   The USTDA-funded deepwater port study will consider potential sites for new port facilities. USTDA grant money for the airport will help to develop a strategy for expansion and modernization of cargo operations.
   Sao Tome & Principe’s Ministry of Public Works, Infrastructure and Land Affairs will competitively select qualified U.S. firms to conduct the studies, USTDA said. The opportunities to bid will be posted to the Federal Business Opportunities Web site at https://www.fedbizopps.gov.