SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded a $345,060 grant to the Bahia State Infrastructure Secretariat (Secretaria de Infrastructure do Estado Bahia / SEINFRA) to support the development of a roadmap and implementation plan for the modernization and expansion of Bahia's airport network. The grant was signed at the U.S. Consulate in Sao Paulo by SEINFRA Chief of Staff Marcus Cavalcanti and USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak.

With the largest economic output of any state in Northeastern Brazil, and the fourth largest population in the country, Bahia is an instrumental component to Brazil's economic growth. This airport network modernization and expansion project will attract economic development, particularly in areas that historically have not been easily accessible from Brazil's major commercial centers.

"This project will help to improve the aviation infrastructure in Bahia, and enhance efficiency within the State's civil aviation system," said Director Zak. She added that the technical assistance could also generate significant opportunities for U.S. companies to export aviation-related technology, goods and services.

The USTDA grant will fund technical assistance for two portions of SEINFRA's airport network modernization and expansion project. The technical assistance will first help Bahia to prioritize upgrades for Feira de Santana Airport, which will serve as a key logistics hub for the state once the development of highways and rail lines in the region are completed. The second portion of the technical assistance will provide a program to upgrade the remainder of Bahia's airport network by identifying modernization needs and technologies that will allow night operation capabilities at eight priority airports.

The technical assistance grant awarded today complements USTDA's efforts under the U.S. Brazil Aviation Partnership, which was signed between the governments of Brazil and the United States on April 9, 2012, during President Dilma Rousseff's visit to Washington, D.C.

Next, SEINFRA will select a U.S. contractor to perform the technical assistance. The opportunity to conduct the USTDA-funded technical assistance will be competed on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website. A link to the FBO announcement will be posted to USTDA's website at www.ustda.gov. Interested U.S. firms should submit proposals according to the instructions in the FBO announcement.

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The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project planning activities, pilot projects, and reverse trade missions while creating sustainable infrastructure and economic growth in partner countries.

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