The International Trade Centre and Access Bank have entered a three-year partnership aimed at improving access to finance, markets and skills for small and medium-sized enterprises across 14 African countries.
The programme, announced during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, will begin with a pilot in Ghana from September 2026 to June 2027, with women-led businesses given priority.
The participating countries are Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.
The partnership will focus on job creation, access to finance, business sustainability, capacity building and market access. It will also support digital trade skills and help businesses participate more effectively in intra-African commerce under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The initiative is designed to address persistent financing and market-access challenges facing African SMEs, which account for a significant share of employment but often struggle to secure the resources needed to expand.
The partners plan to scale the programme beyond the Ghana pilot from 2027, including training on sustainability standards and digital marketplace tools. Access Bank says its pan-African network will complement ITC’s technical expertise, training resources and market connections.
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