Goal:
Help West African farmers and firms to compete, attract investment to the region, and boost their regional and global trade.

Life of Project:
2014–2019

Total USAID Funding:
U.S. $49 million

Geographic Scope:
The 21-country USAID/West Africa region. Offices in Ghana, Senegal and Burkina Faso.

Key Partners:
• African Cashew Alliance
• AGOA Resource Centers
• Association Afrique Agro Export
• Borderless Alliance
• Comité Inter-Etats de Lutte Contre la Sécheresse au Sahel
• Confédération des Fédérations Nationales de la Filière Bétail/Viande des pays de l’Afrique de l’Ouest
• Economic Community of West African States
• Global Shea Alliance
• Réseau des Systèmes d’Information des Marchés en Afrique de l’Ouest
• West African Grains Network
• West African Economic and Monetary Union

Description:
The West Africa Trade and Investment Hub (Trade Hub), launched in March 2014, works in close coordination with a network of West African private sector partners and public institutions to reduce poverty, raise incomes, add jobs and increase food security by expanding trade through:
• Value-added exports (shea, cashews, mangoes, apparel)
• Regional trade in key agricultural commodities, including staple grains (rice, millet/ sorghum, maize) and livestock (cattle, sheep, goats)

Key Objectives:
• Build regional and global trade linkages through policy advocacy, technical assistance and targeted grants.
• Streamline regional transport and trade policies through collaboration with advocacy groups and industry partners.

Five-Year Targets:
• Increase the value of global and regional trade transactions for project-assisted firms by 50 percent.
• Facilitate $102.5 in new investments in targeted sectors.
• Expand access to finance and investment, both directly and through a regional network of Financial Advisors.

Key Accomplishments to Date:
• Facilitated $57 million in new sales, including $44.7 million of sheep and cattle trade, $7 million of mango sales, and over $4 million of apparel exports.
• Contracts signed for an additional $20 million—representing the movement of over 100,000 MT grain—through cereal sector activities.
• Enabled $4.6 million in regional and international trade through technical assistance and support to AGOA Trade Resource Centers in the region.