AFRICA REGIONAL

Transportation Security Forum: Secure Trade Through New Partnerships and New Technologies - USTDA, in cooperation with the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, and Commerce, held a conference on trade and transport security for Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, in February 2004 in Cairo, Egypt.  The Forum provided a platform for the U.S. Government to communicate the status of trade security initiatives to countries in the region.  It also served to highlight and promote technologies and procedures aimed at facilitating the secure and efficient movement of goods.

Smart and Secure Tradelanes Pilot - USTDA is co-funding a $1,324,900 smart and secure logistics chain pilot project and feasibility study to enhance the trade capacity and supply chain security of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).  The grant will be provided to the Namport of Namibia to examine transportation security technologies along both land-based and seagoing trade lanes connecting Walvis Bay, Namibia; Cape Town, South Africa; and the United States. Savi Technology, Inc. will conduct the feasibility study.

Chipata Rail Extension Project - USTDA awarded a $210,450 grant to fund the Central East African Railways Company Limited (CEAR), a private company based in Limbe, Malawi.  The grant will be used to fund a feasibility study on the Chipata Rail Extension and Inland Terminal Project in Zambia.  If implemented, this project would extend the regional Nacala

Transportation Corridor, a rail project currently underway to connect landlocked Malawi to the Port of Nacala in Mozambique, into Eastern Zambia.  The study will be carried out by Harral, Winner, Thompson, Sharp, Lawrence, Inc.

Sogakope-Lomé Water Distribution Project - USTDA has awarded Ghana Water Company Limited at $440,000 grant to partially fund a feasibility study on constructing a wastewater treatment and distribution infrastructure system.  This distribution system will supply surface water to eastern Ghana and Lomé, Togo, which has chronic water shortages.

BOTSWANA

Eastern Botswana Coal Bed Methane - USTDA has given a $525,000 grant to partially funding a feasibility study on behalf of the Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) for a coal-bed methane (CBM) project in eastern Botswana.  The project is intended to capture and process CBM from area coalfields to meet growing domestic and regional demand for a low-cost, clean, and efficient fuel for power plants and feedstock for industrial processes.  Advanced Resources International, Inc. is conducting the study.

CAMEROON

Airport Security - This $237,178 Technical Assistance will assist the Government of Cameroon by providing expertise to analyze needed airport security improvements in its civil aviation system.  As Cameroon attempts to satisfy International Civil Aviation Organization and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration

airport security requirements this assistance is vitally important in assisting Cameroon to meet these goals. 

CAPE VERDE

Transshipment Port Development - This $420,432 Feasibility Study will support the establishment of a major transshipment port in Cape Verde.  The new port facility would use Cape Verde’s strategic geographic location to take advantage of trans-Atlantic and Europe-Africa shipping routes.  The project would have substantial developmental impacts for the country by lowering transportation costs, providing modern infrastructure, and substantially increasing local employment.  USTDA is cost-sharing the feasibility study with Don Breazeale and Associates, Inc., who will be conducting the study.

DJIBOUTI

Djibouti City Seawater Desalinization Plant - USTDA has approved funds for a $281,790 Feasibility Study to examine the development of a central seawater desalinization plant for Office National des Eaux de Djibouti (ONED). 

GABON

National Park Transportation Development Technical Assistance - This $162,000 Technical Assistance will advise the Government of Gabon on developing needed transportation infrastructure improvements for its national park system.  The assistance will be provided to the