Trade Capacity Building

Trade Capacity Building

The U.S. is the largest single-country provider of trade capacity building (TCB) assistance in the world. This assistance-also referred to as "aid for trade"-helps developing countries take advantage of the global trading system and harness trade as an engine of growth and development. USAID works with other U.S. Government partners to provide TCB assistance to build the physical, human and institutional capacity of these countries to participate in and benefit from rules-based trade.

TCBoost not only provides TCB assistance to developing country partners, but also collects best practices for specific TCB programs and provides periodic trade training courses for Washington- and field-based USAID economic growth officers.

TCBoost activities in this area have included:

Africa Trade Hub Best Practices. For USAID/EGAT Africa Bureau, TCBoost produced a brief analysis of TCB technical assistance and training provided across two generations of USAID-funded Global Competitiveness Hubs (or "Trade Hubs") in West, East & Central and Southern Africa. The analysis drew on firsthand accounts from USAID mission staff, as well as Trade Hub implementers, to learn how each Trade Hub has been shaped by common goals, as well as by regional differences. Read TCBoost's Trade Hub Analysis (1,018kb - pdf) .

Trainings for USAID. TCBoost trainings for USAID staff have covered a range of topics within the trade area, including the history of trade capacity building programs, key concepts in trade policy and trade facilitation, and resources available to USAID economic growth officers designing or implementing trade capacity building programs. The project has also helped conduct regional trainings in the field, which have addressed immediately relevant topics such as regional economic integration, regional and/or bilateral TCB programs, and food security.