By: Kanto
Kai Okanta
The AfCFTA SME Booster
Initiative has opened its Central Africa regional cohort in Libreville, Gabon,
bringing together entrepreneurs and key private-sector ecosystem actors to help
African businesses access markets and expand cross-border trade.
The programme brings
together entrepreneurs, business support organisations, financial institutions,
technical partners and other stakeholders to provide practical tools and
connections needed to move from export readiness to actual participation in
African markets.
Participants will focus on
export readiness, market access, standards and certification, rules of origin,
digital trade, logistics and access to finance.
The initiative is designed
to help businesses identify markets, connect with potential partners and build
the capabilities required to trade and operate across the continent under the
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The programme also seeks to
strengthen connections between businesses and the wider support ecosystem,
including buyers, financiers, distributors, institutions and technical service
providers.
By bringing these actors
together at the regional level, the SME Booster Initiative aims to address some
of the practical barriers that can prevent small and medium-sized enterprises
from taking advantage of Africa’s single market.
The Central Africa cohort
forms part of the broader effort to build a continental business ecosystem
capable of supporting SME growth, increasing intra-African trade and enabling
more African companies to participate effectively in the opportunities created
by AfCFTA.
