Managing the Trade Hub and African Partners Network Grants Program

KANAVA International is a subcontractor to Abt Associates on the three year Trade Hub and African Partners Network (the Trade Hub) project based in Accra, Ghana, but working throughout West Africa. The Trade Hub has the primary objective to increase regional trade competitiveness and food security, and reduce poverty. The project works in support of USAID/West Africa’s objective of improving West Africa’s international private sector competitiveness in targeted value chains and increased regional trade in staple foods.

KANAVA is managing the Trade Hub’s grants program, which will provide small grants to regional private sector organizations to facilitate market linkages, improve product quality, and expand access to market information and financial services. The Trade Hub will also work with specific associations to develop an advocacy agenda aimed at improving the enabling environment for trade in the region. The grants program is aimed at supporting the financial and technical capacity of counterpart associations to better serve their members and expand their capabilities and opportunities for growth, including potential direct funding from USAID and other donors.

To support this work, KANAVA worked with Abt to prepare the project’s Grants Manual, hired a full-time Grants Manager, Laurencia Tettey, and fielded Carol Yee on a short-term assignment to ensure the processes for the grants program are in place.

Carol and Laurencia worked closely together to establish the project grants process, clearly delineating roles and responsibilities of the technical staff and administrative staff, and the grants approval process. They also drafted the first grants package for a regional alliance, which will be submitted to USAID for approval. Not only did they develop templates for the grants package, they also conducted a pre-award responsibility determination of the potential grantee.

Laurencia will manage the grants program, from solicitation to close-out. KANAVA will also seek ways to assist the Trade Hub build the capacity of its grantees to obtain direct funding from USAID and other donors and provide value-added services for their membership, leading to their increased sustainability.