About Us
Who We Are
COMPETE is the Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Program. COMPETE is a regional program that is working to improve trade in East and Central Africa by harmonizing regional trade and transit policies and procedures , developing financial markets, supporting private sector trade associations, developing value chains in staple foods, cotton/textiles, and coffee and building capacity of regional businesses to take advantage of preferential trade opportunities . COMPETE is funded by the US Agency for International Development under the East Africa region.
COMPETE pursues an African, private-sector led reform agenda. COMPETE works with regional trade associations and regional economic communities, USAID bi-lateral missions and other donor initiatives and private sector partners both regional and international.
What We Do
COMPETE is designed to enhance economic growth and food security in Eastern and Central Africa by stimulating increased trade and competitiveness in both regional and global markets. It builds on the success of two earlier USAID programs, the Regional Agriculture and Trade Expansion (RATES) program and the East and Central African Trade Hub (ECA Hub) . Currently Africa contributes only 3 percent of the value of goods traded globally. Building capacity in local markets to make them more competitive will help to increase trade in regional and global markets and help to reduce poverty in the region.
In combining the best aspects of the two programs, COMPETE, headquartered in Nairobi, is one part of the USAID/East Africa’s new regional Agriculture, Competitiveness and Trade Activity (ACT). ACT aims to increase trade and competitiveness in regional and global markets by reducing barriers to trade, improving market access, and furthering regional integration. COMPETE works in over 15 countries in East and Central Africa, addressing the constraints and promoting the opportunities available to African companies to increase their competitiveness and trade with the United States and global markets.
Issues We Work On
- Feed the Future
- African Growth and Competitiveness Initiative
- Reducing Barriers to Trade
- Increased Competitiveness and Trade in Selected Value Chains
- Increased Trade and Investment in Global Markets