USTDA Regional Brief - Middle East and North Africa

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, feasibility studies, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment. USTDA's strategic use of foreign assistance funds, to support sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries, creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development. In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.

Since the agency's creation in 1981, USTDA has provided more than $67 million in funding for activities that support economic needs and priorities in the Middle East, and North Africa (MENA). Key USTDA investments in the region include project development and investment support studies related to projects in transportation and trade logistics, information and communication technology (ICT), energy supply, water resource management, and disaster preparedness and recovery. USTDA invested $5 million in activities in the region in 2008, and has a strong project pipeline for 2009. USTDA's recent portfolio includes extensive work in a broad range of sectors, including transportation, energy, and ICT.

Throughout the year, USTDA will continue its support for key sectors in the MENA region that represent both high economic development priorities for host country sponsors and strong opportunities for U.S. firms. The following is an illustrative list of recent projects in the MENA region:

Algeria

Oil Spill Response and Port Security – USTDA sponsored an orientation visit to the United States to familiarize Algerian and Moroccan officials with U.S. policy and practices in the area of oil spill response and port security, including the U.S. Container Security Initiative, oil spill prevention standards, rapid response procedures, and the implementation of a National Response Plan. The visit also exposed the delegation to U.S. technologies, including state-of-the-art containment and cleanup equipment and gamma-ray scanners. Delegates met U.S. suppliers and officials from national associations and federal agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Egypt

ICT Modernization for EgyptAir Maintenance & Engineering (M&E) – USTDA is providing $642,577 to EgyptAir M&E to fund technical assistance associated with the company’s ICT infrastructure for its overall business and organizational operations. The USTDA-funded assistance supports Egypt M&E’s plans to transform its operations into a modern system that can provide state-of-the-art service to both EgyptAir and its other international carrier customers.

Egypt Hydrocarbons Corporation (EHC) Steam Cracker – USTDA provided $263,601 to EHC to fund a feasibility study of a proposed steam cracker project. The study will expand on the results of a technical pre-feasibility study completed by KBR and establish a complete basis of design for the steam cracker and supporting infrastructure. It is estimated that U.S. producers could supply approximately $1 billion worth of goods, services and technologies towards this project. A previous USTDA grant to EHC resulted in $275 million in U.S. exports.

Iraq

Railway Sector – USTDA has been active in three rail-related projects in Iraq since 2004. USTDA funded a $600,000 technical assistance program for Iraq Republic Railways that established a rail development plan focused on business, environmental management, and priority investment. The technical assistance also made recommendations regarding the future organization and regulation of the sector. USTDA also sponsored two orientation visits to the United States on railway reconstruction that introduced delegates to U.S. technology, capacity, and regulatory practices in the sector.

Oil Training Program – USTDA funded a $2.5 million multifaceted training program for the Iraqi Ministry of Oil to support management, technical/engineering, and human resources development. The training responded to specific needs identified by the Ministry, provided critical knowledge transfer, and established long-term relationships between the U.S. and Iraqi oil and gas industry public and private sector representatives.

Jordan

Renewable Energy – USTDA is funding an orientation visit to the United States that will familiarize Jordanian private and public sector representatives with U.S. renewable energy technology and expertise. The itinerary is designed to support Jordan’s efforts to diversify its energy supply and resources through exploring solar, wind, energy efficiency and geothermal technologies. Delegates will participate in the annual PowerGen conference in Las Vegas and will be exposed to U.S. businesses and technologies.

Water Sector – USTDA funded an orientation visit to the United States in June 2009 to familiarize Jordanian water sector officials with U.S. water reuse and loss reduction equipment, services, and technology. The visit complements USTDA’s three ongoing water sector projects with the Ministry of Environment, the Water Authority of Jordan, and Aqaba Water Company. The itinerary exposed the delegates to U.S. equipment and technologies that could be applied in the implementation of various projects and included the delegates’ participation in the American Water Works Association’s annual conference.

National Freight Information and Transportation Hub (NAFITH) – USTDA is providing a $600,000 grant to the Jordanian Ministry of Transport to fund the cost of a NAFITH pilot and feasibility study. NAFITH is a country-wide freight information transportation system that supports Jordan’s efforts to promote trade efficiency, security and global competitiveness through market-oriented reforms. It allows cargo to be catalogued and tracked across a supply chain via a web-based platform, providing system stakeholders with access to immediate information.

Morocco

Cold Storage Systems – USTDA is funding two grants, one for $531,810 to the Ministry of Agriculture and one for $462,970 to the National Office of Fish, to support, respectively, the development of cold storage infrastructure for palm dates and for fish. The technical assistance programs will include studies to identify the specific needs for cold storage infrastructure and facilities that will reduce losses in fishing and palm date production industries, which are both supported under the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Compact with Morocco. Both programs will include a training component that targets producers, fisherman and producer associations.

Geographic Information System (GIS) Technical Assistance – USTDA is funding a $385,876 grant to the Moroccan Office of Potable Water (ONEP) to fund technical assistance for a GIS system in Morocco. The implementation of a GIS system for water resource management will support ONEP’s efforts to further modernize its production and distribution of potable water in Morocco.

West Bank

WiMax Network – USTDA is providing a $480,625 technical assistance grant to BCI Communication & Advanced Technologies to provide business advisory services, technical analysis, and human resources training related to the establishment of a WiMax broadband wireless network serving the West Bank. The network would target the 10 largest cities in the West Bank, which would provide approximately 45,000 users with broadband wireless services.

Internet Data Center – USTDA is providing a $412,093 grant to Safad Engineering & Electronics Ltd., for a feasibility Study designed to provide technical, business and financial advisory services related to the establishment of an Internet Data Center (IDC) in Ramallah, West Bank. The IDC will offer a secure data facility to provide web hosting, web services, managed services and other advanced applications for the local Internet and digital services marketplace.

Stone and Marble Orientation Visit – USTDA funded an orientation visit to the United States in October 2008 to familiarize West Bank business representatives in the marble and stone industry with U.S. natural stone equipment, services, and technology. The delegation visited the U.S. trade show StonExpo in Las Vegas, which showcased U.S. equipment and service technologies for natural stone extraction and processing.

Yemen

Taiz Wastewater System – USTDA funded a $492,000 grant to the Governorate of the City of Taiz, represented by the Taiz Water and Sanitation Local Corporation, to fund a study on a wastewater collection, disposal, and treatment project for the city of Taiz, Yemen. The study analyzed the financial, economic, and technical viability of the project, including a preliminary environmental analysis.

National Rural Electrification Program – USTDA is funding a $515,214 technical assistance grant to the Yemen Ministry of Electricity and Energy that will develop a comprehensive institutional framework for program implementation in the country. The USTDA-funded assistance will include the design of the legal and regulatory framework to support national rural electrification policy throughout Yemen, along with a comprehensive legislative proposal to establish a new rural electrification agency, and support the formation of local electric cooperatives. The technical assistance will culminate in the demonstration of a model electric cooperative to be formed in the Ibb Governorate of Yemen.

Regional

Cold Chain – USTDA supported an orientation visit to the United States for public and private representatives from Jordan, Morocco, and Egypt. The visit introduced the delegates to U.S. cold chain equipment and technologies. Delegates attended the IARW/GCCA/WFLO Cold Chain conference and made site visits to U.S. equipment manufacturers and cold storage facilities. The visit represented a substantial opportunity to introduce MENA delegates to U.S. technology and expertise in the area of harvesting, storing, processing, and transporting agricultural products and other temperature-sensitive goods.

Maghreb Water Orientation Visit – USTDA is funding an orientation visit to the United States for public sector water officials and representatives of large water consumers from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The itinerary will introduce the delegates to U.S. wastewater and desalinization technology and equipment. The cornerstone of the visit will be the delegates’ participation in the Water Environment Federation’s Technical Exhibition and Conference (Weftec) in Orlando, Florida.