More than 30 private sector companies have so far applied for grants in the first round of TradeMark East Africa’s Logistics Innovation for Trade, or LIFT, fund, which was launched in Europe last month.
With such funds typically attracting a deluge of applications in the final days before a round closes, many more are expected to submit proposals between now and the March 31 deadline, according to Clara Garcia Parra, a consultant at Nathan Associates, which is managing the fund. A number of the firms applying are multinationals.
Backed by the U.K. Department for International Development, the LIFT fund has raised $16 million to provide challenge grants ranging from $250,000 to $750,000 to help companies develop new ways of cutting the cost and time involved when trading goods within East Africa.
About the author
Helen Castell@flippinowl
Helen Castell is a London-based financial journalist with nearly 20 years’ experience covering trade, energy and risk for TXF, Shares Magazine, Global Trade Review, Newsbase, Trade Finance Magazine and other Euromoney publications. At Devex, she writes about development banking, private sector engagement and funding trends. She studied English Literature at Sheffield University and International Journalism at London’s City University, and speaks English, Spanish and Japanese.
