Environmental financing on the right track

Along the 750-kilometer line connecting landlocked Ethiopia with neighboring Djibouti's giant port, an electrified high-speed train whizzes past at 120 km/h, carrying thousands of tons of Ethiopian vegetables, coffee, tea, spices and oil seeds for export.

This link, which has cut a three-day road journey to 12 hours and reduced freight costs considerably, is being embraced by Ethiopian traders and has been hailed as a big stride toward the country's ambition of becoming Africa's light manufacturing hub by 2025.

But the line is also a story of successful green finance.