TradeMark Africa has appointed three new directors to its board. The move strengthens leadership as the organisation pushes further into its 2023 to 2030 strategy, which aims to expand trade facilitation work across the African continent.
The new board members are Dr Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Rwanda’s former African Union Commission deputy chairperson; Safia Boly, an investment and agriculture expert from Mali; and Jaswinder Bedi, a Kenyan industrialist. Their appointments arrive as TMA accelerates plans to build trade that is more inclusive, greener and digitally enabled, while extending its reach beyond East Africa into other regions of the continent.
TMA’s current strategy sets ambitious goals. The organisation plans to mobilise and invest roughly $700 million over the plan’s lifespan. It aims to lift Africa’s exports to the rest of the world by 33 percent and grow intra-African trade by $70 billion. By 2030, TMA expects to help create or improve 400,000 jobs across the continent.
New Directors Bring Range Across Policy, Finance and Enterprise
TMA Board Chair Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe said the incoming directors would sharpen the board’s strategic oversight as the organisation broadens its footprint. Each new member, he explained, brings a perspective that speaks directly to TMA’s work: enterprise, agriculture, finance and continental policy.
That range matters, he added, because it keeps the board grounded in both the politics of trade and the daily realities facing African firms that produce and move goods across borders.
Nsanzabaganwa Brings Two Decades in Public Finance
Nsanzabaganwa joins TMA after serving as deputy chairperson of the African Union Commission from 2021 to 2025. Before that role, she held several senior posts in Rwanda’s government, including Minister of Trade and Industry, Minister of State for Economic Planning, and Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Rwanda.
She also sits on the G20 Africa Expert Panel and carries more than twenty years of experience spanning public finance, economic planning and regional integration.
Boly Oversees Agriculture Programmes Reaching Nearly 860,000 Households
Boly currently serves as Senior Vice President for Africa at Heifer International, where she leads programmes across twelve African countries that reach close to 860,000 farming households. She previously served as a government minister in Mali and now sits on the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council.
Bedi Draws on Four Decades in Manufacturing and Trade Advocacy
Bedi rounds out the new appointments. He serves as Managing Director of Bedi Investments Limited and Executive Director of Fine Spinners Uganda Limited. Over more than forty years, he has built deep experience in manufacturing, export development and private sector advocacy. He currently chairs both the Kenya Private Sector Alliance and the Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency.
New Board Aims to Cut Trade Barriers and Costs
TMA Chief Executive Officer David Beer said the appointments reflect the organisation’s focus on helping African businesses compete in global markets. He expects the new directors to strengthen collaboration with governments, businesses and development partners, with the goal of removing trade barriers and lowering the cost and time it takes to move goods across borders.
The three directors succeed Patricia Ojangole, Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Development Bank, and Gabriel Negatu, both of whom retired as non-executive directors on June 6 after completing their terms.
They join an expanded board that now reflects TMA’s growing presence across East, West, Central and Southern Africa. As the organisation pushes toward its 2030 targets, that broader mix of experience will be tested against a simple measure: whether African trade actually gets easier, faster and fairer.
