About Us

Trade Catalyst Africa (TCA) is a catalytic financing facility wholly owned by TradeMark Africa (TMA); that aims to address the challenge of access to finance for trade infrastructure and trade finance.

TCA will address this through blended finance to de-risk commercial investments in trade projects. It will specifically focus on investments in trade infrastructure, both hard and soft infrastructure, and providing better access to trade finance for SMEs.

USAID has provided the initial capital of $25 Million to operationalise TCA. TCA will leverage this funding to raise additional capital from development finance institutions (DFIs), commercial banks, private equity funds, microfinance institutions, FinTechs and other financial institutions for investment.

Ultimately, TCA will be an evergreen fund and will revolve its funding across multiple projects by recouping its investments using a transparent revenue model.

Mission and Vision

Our Mission

To elevate Africa's exports by amplifying trade finance and infrastructure investment.

Our Vision

To catalyse African Trade for Prosperity.

TCA Focus Areas

Trade infrastructure

OSBPs, logistics facilities, ports, equipment leasing,
industrial parks. 

Digital infrastructure

Supply chain finance, SME credit facilities.

Trade finance

Supply chain finance, micro and SME credit facilities.

Our Strategic Partners

TCA Trade Prosperity Facility

TCA is designed to catalyse & de-risk commercial investments in trade projects, focusing on trade infrastructure and access to trade finance for SMEs. Our trade prosperity facility has two financing windows and a project preparation component:

Factory

Trade Finance
Window

This window provides subordinated debt to trade finance vehicles for on-lending to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in sectors with high export potential, such as...
Financing

Project Development Finance Window

This window deploys concessional and catalytic capital, de-risking and supporting the development of trade and digital infrastructure, logistics systems, and platforms...

How We Evaluate Investments

Relevance

High potential of enabling export and intra-regional trade.

Sustainability

Meets environmental, social, and governance guidelines.

Predictability

Transparency provided from early stages of engagement.

Impact

Clear impact on economic growth, diversity, and inclusion.

Ethical Approach

Build consensus of all project stakeholders.

Commercially Viable

Demonstrable value for money.

Investment Criteria

Our Team

The Board

Patrick Obath
Board Chairman, TCA

Patrick Obath

Gabriel Negatu
Board Member

Gabriel Negatu

Patricia Ojangole
Board Member

Patricia Ojangóle

Board Chairman, TCA

Patrick Obath

Patrick Obath is the managing consultant of Eduardo and Associates. He previously served as Managing Director and Country Chairman for Kenya Shell and Shell Tanzania. He also serves as board chairman for PZ Cussons East Africa Limited, KCA University, Board of Trustees, Kenya Cultural Centre, Starehe Boys Centre and Board of Trustees, LVCT Health. He also serves as a board member of Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), Afren Plc, Standard Chartered Bank – Kenya Ltd, Wananchi Group Holdings Ltd, New Forests Company Holdings Limited and Unga Group Holdings Limited.

Board Member

Gabriel Negatu

Mr Gabriel Negatu is the former Director General at the Africa Development Bank (AfDB). He has more than 25 years of senior level program, operations and managerial experience, including 18 years at AfDB. He has extensive experience in operations having been senior and principal programme officer from 1998 to 2002, chief programme officer from 2002 to 2006 and sector director for economic and financial governance, where he headed the bank’s first governance department. Mr. Negatu was credited for successfully leading the bank’s response to the global financial crisis and for spearheading the use of budget support operations for fragile states.

Mr Negatu holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography and Planning from California State University and a Master’s Degree in Public and International Administration with a focus on Economics and Social Development from the university of Pittsburgh.

Board Member

Patricia Ojangóle

Patricia is a professional accountant with 17 years’ experience in Banking and Finance. Currently, she is the Managing Director of Uganda Development Bank Limited she has been instrumental in turning around the Bank to become the preferred and trusted partner to the Government of Uganda in achieving Socio-economic development aspirations.

Prior to becoming the Managing Director, she worked as a Chief Audit Executive at Uganda Development Bank and a Senior Internal Audit Manager at Standard Bank Group. She has specific competences in Strategy development and implementation, Risk management, Corporate Governance and Finance

Patricia holds a first-class Master of Philosophy in Development Finance from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She also holds an Executive Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Eastern and Southern Africa Management Institute, Arusha, Tanzania; a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) Degree from Makerere University, Uganda and has completed several leadership and management programs. She is currently undertaking her PhD studies in development finance at the University of Stellenbosch.

Patricia is a Fellow of the Association of the Certified Chartered Accountants (UK); the Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU), as well as The Institute of Internal Auditors Uganda (IIA).

She is a member of the Board of Uganda Development Bank Ltd, Busitema University Fund Ltd, and The New Vision Group. She is also a member of the Management Board of the European Union Funded START facility and serves on the boards of the Association of Development Finance Institutions in Africa and in the Association of member countries of Islamic Development Bank.

CEO

Duncan Onyango
Chief Executive Officer, TCA

Duncan Onyango

Chief Executive Officer, TCA

Duncan Onyango

Duncan, an Oxford-educated investment executive with over two decades of management experience, assumed his role on 3 July 2023. He joins TCA from Pharo Ventures East Africa, a for-profit arm of The Pharo Foundation focused on investing in commercially viable and environmentally sustainable enterprises in Eastern Africa. Duncan brings an abundance of skills to his new role from his vast experience gained from working in the donor, development finance, private and public sector environments, having equally served on the boards of diverse organisations globally.

Blog Posts

Actors in Ethiopia’s logistics value chain upskilled on free trade zones operations

Supporting women traders’ access to export markets for improved incomes

Our Partners

USAID has provided the initial capital of $25 Million to operationalise TCA.

TCA will leverage this funding to raise additional capital from development finance institutions (DFIs), commercial banks, private equity funds, microfinance institutions, FinTechs and other financial institutions for investment. Ultimately, TCA will be an evergreen fund and will revolve its funding across multiple projects by recouping its investments using a transparent revenue model.

USAID
TradeMark Africa

Contact Us

Reach out to us to find out how we can work together.

Contact Us

CONTACT
US

Trade Finance Windows

TCA deploys subordinated loans to attract more commercial funding.

This window provides subordinated debt to trade finance vehicles for on-lending to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in sectors with high export potential, such as cotton, textiles, and garments, with a particular focus on youth and women-owned enterprises. This finance is designed to support and grow MSMEs from micro to scaleup.

Upcoming Projects

Industrial parks

Industrial parks

An area zoned and dedicated to industrial development, facilitating economies of scale in investments in power, water, waste management and other infrastructure.

One stop border posts

One stop border posts

An OSBP uses simplified and harmonized legal and institutional framework, facilities, and associated coordinated procedures and processes that enable goods, people, and vehicles crossing a border, to stop only once in the country of entry.

Logistics Facilities

Logistics hub

A trade and logistics facility comprises a series of cold and hard storage infrastructure, grading and sorting centres and packing sheds, located together with ancillary services including transport services, testing and certification, with strong connectivity to a series of designated product supply chains.

Ports

Ports

Port infrastructure improvement to include gates and yards, expansion of port access roads, berth upgrading), financial assistance in securing works, legal and regulatory revision, productivity improvements and equipment upgrades to help reduce the time to move and clear goods through Ports.

Project Development Finance Window

More specifically, our role includes project conceptualisation and project implementation to stakeholder management.

Conceptualization & feasibility analysis
Conduct preliminary studies determining technical/economic feasibility of proposed projects.

Planning & design
Shortlist & develop detailed designs, define technical specifications, budgets, and timelines.

Procurement & contracting
Select contractors, suppliers, and 3rd party consultants required in the construction & implementation phase.

Construction & implementation
Execute approved designs, monitor project costs, & test functionality.

Monitoring & evaluation
Assess project’s overall success in meeting objectives.

TCA also syndicates with other Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) and Financial
Institutions (FIs) to finance trade projects.

  • Project preparation component:  This component provides technical assistance
    and first-loss equity to early-stage, high-risk infrastructure projects through the
    more difficult stages of development. These projects have the potential to
    generate substantial export impact.
    expertise, procurement support, etc.

Prioritised technical assistance services include feasibility studies, engineering

Upcoming Projects

Trade Finance platforms

Trade Finance platform

Digital Cross-border trade

Digital Cross-border trade platform