U.S. grants help aviation in Brazil, Ghana

U.S. grants help aviation in Brazil, Ghana    The U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded two grants Tuesday to improve aviation infrastructure in Brazil’s state Rio Grande do Sul and Ghana.
   A $630,000 grant will help the Rio Grande do Sul government fund a modernization plan that will guide the expansion of aviation transportation services throughout the Brazilian state, USTDA said.
   In 2003, the State Secretariat for Infrastructure and Logistics (SEINFRA) created an airport development program for the upgrade of air transport in the state, focusing on increased regional connectivity to promote tourism and trade. To meet these objectives, the USTDA grant will fund a technical assistance consultancy that will help form a “roadmap” for the development of the state’s regional airport system through 2019.
   “The modernization plan will address investments including runway pavement, air navigation equipment, emergency response and security equipment,” USTDA said.
   Brazil is one of USTDA’s largest regional partners. The agency has invested in 92 projects there since 1981. These investments have facilitated $549.9 million in U.S. exports, USTDA said.
   USTDA’s $650,000 grant to the Ghana Airports Co. Ltd. (GACL) will help with the design of a new passenger terminal to meet a projected demand for aviation services at Kotoka International Airport in Accra.
   GACL recently completed a 15-year master plan, which projects that the Accra airport will need the capacity to handle 2 million passengers annually by 2024, up from 1 million in 2007.
   USTDA said the refurbishment of Accra’s passenger terminal “requires the schematics and design documents to determine what goods and services to procure.”
   The grant will support this effort by funding engineering services and document preparation throughout the design development phase, the agency said.
   Opportunities for U.S. companies to compete for either the Brazil or Ghana aviation projects will be competed on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site, which may be linked through the USTDA Web site.