Since 1999, CLDP has engaged both governments and the private sector across the length and breadth of Sub-Saharan Africa, assisting countries from Nigeria, Cameroun, Ghana, Senegal, and Mali in West Africa, to Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania in East Africa, and Angola, Mozambique, Botswana, Malawi, and South Africa in Southern Africa. In addition to various countries, CLDP has engaged the Regional Economic Communities – the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) – in the harmonization of laws and policies designed to facilitate African economic integration. 

Working primarily through USAID funded programs (the African Trade and Investment Program (ATRIP), the African Global Competitiveness Initiative (AGCI) and Feed the Future), CLDP focused, inter alia, on adopting the legal and regulatory framework and improving capacity to better implement: the protection and utilization of intellectual property (IP) rights, public procurement reform, technology transfer, project finance, adjudication of commercial disputes, alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, and government ethics and transparency. These CLDP programs were designed to foster an improved trade and investment relationship with the U.S. 

POWER AFRICA

More recently, and as a result of the critical importance in developing Africa’s power sector and extending the economic benefits of reliable electricity to every corner of the continent, CLDP programs have been focused on supporting the effort to increase the amount of power generated and distributed in Africa, under the USAID funded Power Africa program.

As a part of the Power Africa initiative launched by US President Obama in June of 2013,  CLDP has been tasked to improve the legal and regulatory environment for power projects in the specified Power Africa countries of Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania.

Goal: Adoption of power purchase and other related power agreements, utilizing international best practices and terms, will reassure companies considering investments in Power Africa countries of Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania. Such contracts will also enable Power Africa countries to take a proactive role in the structuring of power projects, by drawing on the experience of other nations that have utilized similar contracts for past projects.  CLDP will also utilize these contracts and other tools to build the capacity of the local attorneys and government officials to understand, adapt, and implement the contracts, as well as to regulate the power projects.

Program Areas:

• Coordinate the development of a core library of model transactional documents that are tailored to the unique legal challenges within Power Africa countries in order to facilitate the negotiation, conclusion, and maintenance of power purchase and other related power agreements between Power Africa countries and international investors;
• Develop the capacity of Power Africa governments and other local stakeholders to utilize these model documents to reduce the project development time cycle.  

To learn more about the Understanding series please click here.

MALI

Goal: CLDP works closely with the USAID Mission in Mali, the Government of Mali and local stakeholders to support the Feed the Future initiative through a project focusing on the prevention of counterfeited products affecting public health and food security with a particular focus on agro-inputs. This project includes the capacity building of local authorities as well as the use of new technologies, broad public outreach and consumer education.

Program Areas:

• Implementation of Mobile Product Authentication (MPA™) technology at the point of purchase through a public private partnership
• Outreach to corporate entities, farmers, and government stakeholders to increase adoption and use of the technology
• Support the development and implementation of a national database administered jointly by Malian Customs, the Malian Intellectual Property Office (CEMAPI) and the Malian Copyright Office (BUMDA) where producers and importers can register authenticated products to facilitate the seizure of counterfeited products
• Increase awareness of the dangers of fake products and increase enforcement through extensive training of stakeholders including Malian Customs, the judiciary, police and gendarmerie.
• Develop and roll out a national outreach campaign, including culturally appropriate marketing material including Public Service Announcements, brochures, billboards, radio and television interviews to raise awareness of the danger of counterfeits and showcase how to best combat it.

Outcomes: In the last 3 years, the total amount of fraudulent medicine seized by the Malian authorities added up to 19.88 tons. In 2018 alone, 1,8 tons were seized while the amount in 2017 alone is 9,6 tons representing over 7 million pills.