USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub Work Plan Fiscal Year 2019

under the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), and attract investments that drive commercial expansion within the region and to global markets. The Hub has begun to support a vibrant, broad-based and export-oriented private sector, encouraging diversification of exports beyond natural resources while promoting a conducive business enabling environment that fosters resilience among Southern African economies. The Hub's project goals include advancing enterprise-driven development to unlock Africa's growing markets, enabling anchor firms to structure and lead efficient supply chains, facilitating U.S. and regional investment in profitable, growing enterprises, advancing structured trade in staple foods and utilization of new technologies, connecting U.S. businesses with new buyers, suppliers, and markets and catalyzing transactions, expanding intra-regional trade and U.S. exports under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, and creating jobs, empowering women, and enhancing food security. The Hub's project footprint covers the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, including South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, and Lesotho. The Hub's expected accomplishments include increasing the value of new commitments and private sector investment leveraged by the U.S. Government in agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, increasing the value of exports in targeted agricultural and non-agricultural commodities, and increasing the number of agriculture and non-agriculture jobs created with Hub assistance. The Hub's strategic direction is guided by four focus areas of engagement: finance and investment, agriculture and agribusiness, export competitiveness, and enabling environment and trade facilitation. The Hub will take an enterprise-driven approach to identifying and delivering integrated interventions that address the needs of the private sector and promote regional economic integration. The Hub is at a critical point to correct its path going forward, and DAI is seizing this opportunity to reset the strategic direction of the project and the Annual Work Plan to meet the high expectations of USAID and its many stakeholders to transform the region into an integrated, dynamic market generating higher levels of U.S. and African investment, trade, and inclusive growth. The Hub's rapid turnaround plan builds on lessons learned and recognizes that several factors have shifted since the Hub began two years ago. The plan aims to correct the shortcomings in the implementation of the Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub and position the Hub for success in achieving its project goals and expected accomplishments. The Hub's finance and investment focus area will engage with financial institutions, investment promotion agencies, and private sector organizations to promote access to finance, investment, and trade finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises. The Hub will also work with the private sector to develop and implement investment promotion strategies that attract U.S. and regional investment in profitable, growing enterprises. The Hub's agriculture and agribusiness focus area will engage with the private sector, farmers' organizations, and agricultural value chain actors to promote agricultural development, improve agricultural productivity, and increase access to markets for agricultural products. The Hub will also work with the private sector to develop and implement agricultural value chain development strategies that promote the growth of the agricultural sector and increase exports of agricultural products. The Hub's export competitiveness focus area will engage with the private sector, trade promotion agencies, and export development organizations to promote export competitiveness, improve the business enabling environment, and increase access to markets for Southern African exports. The Hub will also work with the private sector to develop and implement export development strategies that promote the growth of the export sector and increase exports of Southern African products. The Hub's enabling environment and trade facilitation focus area will engage with the private sector, trade facilitation agencies, and regulatory bodies to promote a conducive business enabling environment, improve trade facilitation, and increase access to markets for Southern African exports. The Hub will also work with the private sector to develop and implement trade facilitation strategies that promote the growth of the trade sector and increase exports of Southern African products. The Hub's performance monitoring and evaluation plan will track progress against the project's expected accomplishments and provide regular updates to USAID and its stakeholders on the Hub's performance. The plan will also identify areas for improvement and provide recommendations for adjustments to the project's strategy and work plan as needed.