The USAID Southern Africa Trade and Investment Hub (SATIH) aims to accelerate trade and create sustained economic growth across the Southern Africa Development Member States to improve livelihoods of people across the region and to advance the prosperity and security of the American people. SATIH is working towards overcoming various challenges including, including food insecurity, government interventions that distort incentives for farmers’ private enterprises, weak institutional capabilities, infrastructure inadequacies, corruption, and market distortions that undermine productivity. Improving the enabling environment and trade facilitation through transparent, reliable, efficient and cost-effective trade across Southern Africa is key to overcoming these challenges.

The Nathan team, in collaboration with regional economic communities (SADC, South Africa Customs Union), SADC Member States, States, private sector partners and academia, is working to strengthen regional actors’ ability to implement multilateral and regional trade policies and agreements. These include the World Trade Organization Agreements on Trade Facilitation; improvement of regional transport corridor management; addressing key non-tariff barriers (NTBs) affecting trade in Trade and Investment Hub value chains; and, building partners’ capacity to advocate for trade- and investment-friendly policies. Nathan is also empowering private sector partners to effectively cooperate and share experiences, develop and strengthen advocacy skills and capabilities, and to encourage pro-business initiatives.