Trade Catalyst Africa

Trade Catalyst Africa

Driving Prosperity Through Trade

We de-risk investments so capital flows into projects that accelerate exports, create jobs, and promote inclusive growth.

Our Mission

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

Our Vision
To catalyse African Trade for Prosperity.

Trade Catalyst Africa (TCA) is a catalytic financing facility that addresses the challenge of access to finance for trade infrastructure, both hard and soft, and provides better access to trade finance for Small and Medium–Sized Enterprises (SMEs).

We achieve this through blended finance to de-risk commercial investments in trade projects. We partner with public and private sector organisations to achieve our mandate, focusing our efforts on projects that promote trade, resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability. 

For Africa, improved trade infrastructure means smooth movement of goods, people, and information, while access to trade finance for SMEs means increased working capital, business expansion into new export markets, and improved livelihoods.

We aim to be an evergreen fund, revolving our funding across multiple projects by recouping our investments through a transparent revenue model.

TCA is wholly owned by TradeMark Africa.

About Us ↗

Know Our Back Story

Trade is a powerful engine for economic growth, job creation, innovation, better living standards and global standing.
Company Profile
TCA Factsheet

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, SME credit facilities.

TCA Trade Prosperity Facility

TCA is unlocking investments for trade infrastructure and finance for SMEs in Africa. Our trade prosperity facility has two financing windows and a project preparation component:

Project Preparation

We facilitate the successful development of trade infrastructure projects with the potential to deliver significant export impact.

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Trade Finance Window

We support the growth of export-oriented micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to scale up.

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Project Development Finance Window

We support and de-risk the development of physical and digital trade infrastructure.

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Figures

Seed capital from USAID
$ 0 M
Invested Over
$ 0 M
Catalysed Over
$ 0 M
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.

Value Proposition
A blend of developmental impact and financial returns, secured through transparent, accountable, and strategically managed investment avenues.
Each project is selected based on its potential to unlock trade capabilities, promote public good, and drive regional prosperity.

Get In Touch

Contact Us

Email Address

[email protected]

Call Us

+254 20 423 5000

Address

2nd Floor, Fidelity Center, Waiyaki Way, Westlands.

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Project Preparation

Turns concepts into viable investment-ready projects through technical assistance, expert advice, planning, funding feasibility studies, and first-loss equity during the risky development stages.

Nakonde Project
Trade Finance Window

TCA provides subordinated debt to trade finance vehicles for on-lending to MSMEs in sectors with high export potential, such as agro-processing, horticulture, cotton, textiles, and garments, with a particular focus on youth- and women-owned enterprises. We boost these enterprises’ capacity to engage in export-value chains, promoting economic growth and inclusivity. 

TCA partners with financial institutions, including commercial banks, fintechs, DFIs, and non-banking financial institutions like SACCOs

Diverse partnerships will deliver broad reach and effective delivery of competitive financial products. 

For investors, the Trade Finance Window offers a chance to be part of a transformative initiative that promises to reshape trade dynamics in emerging markets, ensuring robust returns and lasting social impact.

EASETRADE Project
Project Development Finance Window

TCA deploys concessional and catalytic capital to support and de-risk the development of physical and digital infrastructure. 

We act as a proactive project sponsor, initiating and conceptualising specific trade-focused projects. This includes identifying credible partners and co-creating projects, ensuring that the initial groundwork aligns with national trade goals to secure political buy-in. 

We then utilise financial mechanisms, such as subordinate loans, convertible loans, or equity, to attract a mix of commercial and developmental capital, thereby mitigating risks associated with early-stage investments.

TCA’s technical assistance can be deployed towards various interventions, from feasibility assessments and project preparation and structuring to implementation, ensuring projects are efficiently executed. 

As an investment manager, TCA then collaborates with investors to prepare projects for subsequent investment phases, including detailed oversight and monitoring success against initial objectives.

EASETRADE Project