US Trade and Development Agency

USTDA's mission is to advance economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. To this end, the agency funds various forms of technical assistance, investment analysis, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment. In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.


The USTDA Website is a good source of information about its activities around the world and how to work with the agency. The latest USTDA 2006 Annual Report provides detailed information on the program activities and grants in different parts of the world.

In a nutshell, the agency focuses on initiatives that result in improved infrastructures in host countries, while at the same time striving to create trading opportunities for US companies. The agency has three primary ways in which it gets involved in projects: technical assistance/training, reverse trade missions, and investment analysis/feasibility studies for prospective infrastructure projects.

The agency appreciates direct communication to discuss opportunities with prospects. I talked to the following folks at the agency to learn more about the programs and the circumstances in which they will apply:

1. Tom Hardy - Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Director
2. Enoh Ebong - Acting Regional Director Sub-Saharan Africa
3. Doug Shuster - Africa Business Development Manager, South Africa Office.

From my discussions with the representatives, certain industries are more likely to qualify for USTDA support than others:

1. Telecommunications
2. Energy
3. Transportation
4. Agriculture and Health Care with some caveats.

Areas that will most likely not be candidates for USTDA support are hospitality and housing.

The USTDA is an independent agency and has an annual budget of around $50MM and the average grant in 2006 was $400,000. As opposed to OPIC which interfaces to private businesses in the host country, the USTDA's participation is most often at a government level. Being a smaller agency has advantages and I found the personnel to be very helpful and easy to communicate with.

Please contact me if you need more information.