US trade agency names new West Africa lead
Joshua Egba, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency’s Senior West Africa Representative, earned his elite CITP®|FIBP® designation in March 2025.
Trade as a tool for economic transformation
Egba’s work reflects his belief that trade can drive economic change, especially in underserved regions. “Ultimately, I chose a career in international trade because I wanted to help shape systems that create opportunity, especially in regions that have long been underserved. International trade became my conduit for doing just that.” His efforts include policy design, public-private partnerships, and infrastructure projects to make trade more inclusive.
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Early in his career, he focused on U.S. trade and development policy for Africa. There, he observed how reforms and capacity-building could reshape markets. A key moment came in 2016, when he joined a U.S. trade mission to Nigeria and Rwanda led by the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa. The council advised the U.S. President on strengthening commercial ties with the continent.
During the trip, Egba helped lay the groundwork for the formation of Nigeria’s Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC). “This experience reinforced for me the real-world impact that well-structured trade initiatives can have.”
From policy to infrastructure
In 2022, Egba worked on a transportation-technology initiative at the Port of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire. A U.S. entity piloted intelligent transportation systems to improve freight flows. The project explored how smart systems could alleviate congestion, streamline cargo flows, and support the country’s growing logistics sector. The effort built on earlier U.S.–Africa knowledge-exchange programs and showed how pilot studies could shape local infrastructure plans. “The project would ultimately assist Cote d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Transport in developing a truck parking and logistics center using technologies from a U.S. company.”
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His background in economics and international business shaped his approach. He believes smarter policy design, backed by international cooperation, can make doing business easier and more inclusive. Where development, policy, and trade intersect, Egba has seen how partnerships drive reform, particularly in markets with infrastructure gaps.
Today, as the Senior West Africa Representative for the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, Joshua stands at the heart of some of the most significant United States-Africa commercial initiatives of the past decade. His work bridges public and private sectors, connects policymakers with innovators, and turns promising ideas into development-driven trade projects with measurable impact.
