AWIEF launches a USAID-funded program for SMEs Investment and Export Readiness

AWIEF are excited to announce our new program in partnership with USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub (USAID TradeHub).

The USAID-funded ‘Enhanced Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Investment and Export Readiness Through a Digital Platform’ program aims to increase the investor, export readiness, and competitiveness of 100 SMEs in nine Southern African countries: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia.

The program leverages the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a United States Trade Act that significantly enhances market access to the US for qualifying Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries, and valid until 2025, to drive export trade for the SMEs. Priority industry sectors include Agriculture, Agro-processing, Textiles, Apparels.

The objectives of this new AWIEF program are to: (a) increase exports from the Southern African countries to South Africa; (b) increase exports from all the nine targeted Southern African countries to the United States, leveraging AGOA; and (c) support firms seeking specific trade-related technology transfer (e.g. labelling, branding, laboratories). The program will help strengthen participants’ governance, regulatory compliance, and risk management capabilities.

The 8-week program will be implemented as an online training course through the AWIEF digital platform – the AWIEF Community.

Call for applications:

Applications are invited from qualifying candidates. Deadline for submission is Monday, April 11, 2022 at 11:59pm Central African Time (CAT).Applicant requirements

  • Are you an SME registered and operating in one of these Southern African countries: Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia?
  • Are you either already exporting or interested in exporting your products to South Africa and/or to the United States leveraging AGOA?
  • Are you seeking to raise capital for business expansion and international trade?
  • Priority industry sectors include: Agriculture, Agro-processing, Textiles and Apparel.

Program Timeline:

Applications open: Thursday, March 31 2022

Applications close: Monday, April 11, 2022 at 11:59pm Central African Time (CAT)

Program Starts: Tuesday, May 3, 2022

To submit your application, please follow this link: https://awieforum.typeform.com/exporttrade

Applications will only be accepted through the link above.

For more information, please contact: info@awieforum.org

To learn more about AWIEF, please visit: https://www.awieforum.org/

May 3, 2022.

1 thought on “AWIEF launches a USAID-funded program for SMEs Investment and Export Readiness”

  1. Chakaya Tsimba

    The program is very productive how I wish you could have extended to Kenya I'm really interested as a youth would like to get more skills to expand my business otherwise thank you.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *