From TradeMark Africa (TMA) to Trade Catalyst Africa (TCA), Patrick Obath’s journey in both organisations can be summed up in one sentence: a leadership journey that helped shape institutions and, subsequently, the future of trade.
On 17 March 2026, TMA and TCA celebrated Patrick Obath for his steady leadership across the two organisations.
From serving as a Programme Investment Committee member in TMA’s early days (then known as TradeMark East Africa – TMEA), the steering body that helped guide the early vision of TMEA, to Board Member (2015-2018) and Deputy Board Chair (2018-2022), Patrick helped shape an institution that has transformed trade across the region.
During this time:
- TMEA launched 15 One Stop Border Posts across East Africa, reducing the time to cross borders by an average of 70%.
- In 2017, TMEA interventions reduced trade costs along key corridors by US$115.9 million, according to a UKaid independent evaluation.
- TMEA evolved into TMA, expanding its footprint beyond East Africa to the rest of the continent.
In 2016, Patrick was among the first to ask a simple but consequential question: what if private capital could do what grants alone could not? That thinking laid the groundwork for TCA, which was then founded in 2022. He became TCA’s inaugural Board Chair.
His tenure coincided with one of the most difficult moments in TCA’s short history. In early 2025, USAID, TCA’s sole donor and seed funder, ceased operations entirely. The ground shifted fast. Patrick’s response was steady: keep the organisation focused, credible, and financially disciplined.
TCA continued advancing its key initiatives:
- Advancing the launch of EASETRADE, a digital trade finance platform that will enhance access to finance for SME traders and exporters.
- Supporting the completion of the EPZ warehouse, a 5,000 sqm facility supporting Kenya’s export manufacturing sector.
- Progressing sustainable financing models for border infrastructure.
This is all part of Patrick’s legacy!
TMA’s Board Chair, H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia (2012–2018), said in bidding farewell to Patrick: “Your leadership helped build institutions that will continue to advance Africa’s trade and economic prosperity for the future. An impact that will be felt long beyond our time.”
