Our Services

Practical expertise at the intersection of policy, trade and investment.

SDI delivers four integrated service areas designed to support governments, investors, and international institutions making consequential decisions in complex environments. Our work spans advisory, research, strategy, and capacity building.

Core advisory services

Four integrated service pillars built around your needs.

Each service area is delivered by practitioners with real institutional experience. We do not apply generic frameworks. Every engagement is grounded in the specific regulatory, market, and institutional context you are operating in.

01
Market intelligence and research
Rigorous, data-informed analysis of emerging market dynamics, regulatory environments, and investment opportunity. Our research is built to inform real decisions, not fill reports. We combine primary fieldwork, stakeholder surveys, and secondary data to produce intelligence that is decision-ready.
  • Market entry and opportunity assessments
  • Stakeholder and sector surveys
  • Trade data and competitor intelligence
  • Investment opportunity mapping
  • Evidence-based policy research
Investors and institutions
02
Policy and regulatory advisory
Context-specific guidance on how policy and regulatory systems actually function across the markets we work in. Our advisory is grounded in institutional realities, not how systems are supposed to work in theory. We support governments designing policy and investors navigating regulatory complexity.
  • Regulatory environment analysis
  • Policy design and reform support
  • Compliance and risk frameworks
  • Governance and accountability systems
  • Domestic resource mobilisation
Governments
03
Trade and investment strategy
From opportunity identification through to implementable market entry and trade facilitation strategy. We work across the U.S. Africa corridor, frontier markets, and complex regulatory environments to help clients move from intelligence to action with confidence and clarity.
  • Export strategy and market entry
  • AGOA and AfCFTA advisory
  • Trade compliance and standards
  • Buyer engagement and negotiation support
  • Supply chain and logistics readiness
All clients
04
Institutional capacity strengthening
Supporting governments, development partners, and institutions to build lasting analytical and operational capability in trade, policy, and investment functions. Our capacity building programmes are practical, implementation-oriented, and designed for real institutional contexts.
  • Export readiness and market access training
  • Trade and market intelligence systems
  • Governance and compliance programmes
  • Strategic project management
  • Monitoring, evaluation and learning
Multilaterals and DFIs

Primary research and market intelligence

Active market intelligence studies.

SDI conducts stakeholder surveys and primary research to support trade development, investment intelligence, and evidence-based decision-making across key sectors. Our active studies are open for participation from relevant industry stakeholders.

Why participate?

Survey participants contribute to research that directly shapes trade policy recommendations, investment intelligence reports, and sector development strategies. Findings are shared with relevant government bodies, development partners, and institutional investors.

Uganda and U.S. Trade
Uganda U.S. Cocoa Importers Survey
Gathering insights from U.S.-based cocoa buyers, importers, and industry stakeholders to better understand sourcing needs, market opportunities, and pathways for Ugandan cocoa in the U.S. market.
Take the importers survey
Uganda Export Sector
Uganda Cocoa Exporters Survey
Gathering insights from Ugandan cocoa exporters and sector stakeholders to understand export readiness, market access challenges, buyer requirements, and opportunities for expanding cocoa trade.
Take the exporters survey
Uganda Shea Sector
Uganda Shea Butter Market Survey
Gathering insights from stakeholders in the shea sector to support market research, trade analysis, and sector development opportunities across the value chain.
Take the shea butter survey

Learning and capacity building

Building practical skills and institutional capacity at the intersection of trade, policy, and development.

Our flagship programmes are designed for practitioners working at the intersection of trade, policy, and development. Delivered by subject-matter experts across sectors, the programmes are practical, implementation-oriented, and built for real institutional contexts.

Expert-led
Learn from practitioners with real-world institutional and sector experience
Practical and actionable
Tools, frameworks, and real-life applications you can implement immediately
Institutional focused
Designed for organisations and public and private institutions
Impact driven
Strengthen capacity and drive measurable, sustainable results

Our flagship programmes

Programme 01
Export Readiness and Market Access
From export assessment to market entry. Covering AGOA, AfCFTA, compliance, logistics, and buyer requirements for exporters and trade facilitation bodies ready to scale.
  • Export strategy and market entry
  • Trade compliance and standards
  • Logistics and supply chain readiness
  • Buyer engagement and negotiation
Programme 02
Trade and Market Intelligence
Build the systems and skills to produce credible, decision-ready intelligence for trade and investment. For institutions that need to move from data to strategy with confidence.
  • Market research and analysis
  • Trade data and analytics
  • Competitor and sector intelligence
  • Investment opportunity mapping
Programme 03
Governance and Compliance Systems
Strengthen governance, compliance, and domestic resource mobilisation for effective and accountable institutions operating in complex regulatory environments.
  • Compliance and risk management
  • Domestic resource mobilisation
  • Governance and accountability
  • Policy and regulatory systems
Programme 04
Strategic Project Management
Manage complex, multi-stakeholder projects with accountability built for trade, development, and government delivery. For project leads and institutional managers.
  • Project planning and execution
  • Monitoring, evaluation and learning
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Risk and change management
Who our programmes are for
  • Government institutions and public agencies
  • Exporters and businesses
  • Development partners and donors
  • NGOs and foundations
  • Professionals and practitioners
The impact
  • Stronger institutions and more capable systems
  • Improved competitiveness and market access for exporters
  • Better decisions backed by evidence and rigorous analysis
  • Sustainable development outcomes that last beyond the engagement

Ready to work with SDI on your most complex challenges?

Request a briefingLearn about SDI