At the East African Business & Investment Summit 2026, Antoinette Tesha, Investments Director at Trade Catalyst Africa, participated in a panel to discuss Unlocking Private Capital for Green Logistics in East Africa.
She was joined by:
• Dr Eng. John Deng Diar Diing, Executive Secretary, Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA)
• Mr Marteen Fonteijn, eBee Africa
• Moderator: Ms Lilian Mwai, Kenya Country Director, TradeMark Africa.
She highlighted that private capital will not test new models on its own. Scaling e-mobility, sustainable cargo systems, and green corridors requires concessional finance to sit alongside private investment. Blended finance, performance-based financing, including outcome-linked incentives, reduces risk and gives investors confidence.
But finance is only part of the solution. If the market cannot absorb the infrastructure or afford the service, the model will not hold. Demonstrating demand and affordability is just as critical as structuring capital.
Continental initiatives such as Africa 50 and Mission 300 by the @African Development Bank were highlighted as examples of efforts to accelerate infrastructure financing across Africa. Yet even with grants, technical assistance, and policy reform, success ultimately depends on:
• A viable and paying market
• A stable regulatory environment
• Strong coordination across actors
• Clear risk-sharing mechanisms
All the above need to be aligned for scaling to happen.
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