AfTra Grant Eligibility

Every year we receive numerous applications from organizations and institutions that are simply not eligible for an AfTra grant. Please check that you meet the criteria below before you apply.

Who is eligible?

Organizations that are eligible to receive funds or assistance directly from AfTra include: 

1. Regional Economic Communities and regional institutions as well as regional agencies or institutions concerned with trade development.
2. Regional member countries of the Bank, political subdivisions or agencies concerned with trade development. Recipients can be bodies of the central or local government, or a municipality. 
3. Private sector organizations such as industry associations, business organizations, growers’ associations, chambers of commerce as well as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), at the country or regional level, civil society organizations, and community-based organizations (CBOs) whose credibility and role can be verified and established.

Special criteria for the private sector

As a private sector organization, you will need to establish your credibility and track record in trade development or environmental protection and gender advocacy and capacity building at the country or regional level. Specifically you will need to show evidence that you:

1. are committed to the continent’s or national development priorities and that the proposed activities will be implemented in Africa 
2. are Africa-based or can provide evidence of partnership with African institutions 
3. have current valid legal registration under the laws of the RMCs in which you are operating, as well as evidence of a certificate to carry out business in the RMCs in which you intend to operate 
4. have appropriate organizational and management capacity, including a governing board 
5. show the existence of a sound financial system – including clear accounting and budgeting standards, financial statements, a transparent budgeting process, audited accounts and other indicators that confirm your capacity to assume fiduciary responsibility for AfTra resources 
6. provide evidence of competence, based on past performance, to carry out proposed activities 
7. demonstrate credibility, knowledge of local values, networks and structures required to carry out the indicated activities 
8. shall not derive benefits purely attributable to the use of grant proceeds above the administrative and prime costs associated with the execution of the proposal

What kind of projects do we support?

To be eligible, your project must fall into one of our key areas of intervention:

• Trade facilitation – making customs, ports and one-stop border posts more open and accessible, and easing movement along trade corridors.

• Product and market development– getting goods up to SPS standard, stamping quality on products and crossing over to new markets.
• Capacity building in institutions – collecting market data, analysing trade gaps, adding value along the chain and supporting negotiations. 

In addition, AfTra also funds projects that build the Bank’s own knowledge to deliver, creating stronger trade statistics and research in the Bank and providing quality advisory services.

What are the criteria for project eligibility?

These criteria will help you to see if your project is likely to fit within the broad aims of AfTra:

• Ownership and focus - We’ll look at how well your project will facilitate trade how participatory your processes and are and how inclusive the project is in terms of gender and beneficiaries.

• Feasibility and results - We expect to see a projection of measurable results and a proposed budget and timeline linked to the outcomes.
• Sustainability - In terms of financial sustainability, we want to know how your project will continue after your have used any AfTra funding and whether our grant will help you gain you access to other funding sources. From an organisational point of view, we need to understand how you intend to work with other organizations, groups and communities to ensure your project will continue to deliver benefits after the funding is spent.
• Replicability - We expect projects to include plans to gather lessons learned, evaluate results, and disseminate findings and would like to know if it could prove to be a model for similar projects in the future.
• Strategic alignment - Please tell us if you think your programme fits within country and/or regional development strategies, including priorities in Aid for Trade, the Bank Group Regional Integration Strategy and the Bank Group Long Term Strategy.