ITC and AU push African small businesses towards trade-led growth – The Sierra Leone Telegraph

Sierra Leone Telegraph: September 25, 2024:

The African Continental Free Trade Area is set to transform business and trade on the continent. The African Union hosted a forum in Windhoek, Namibia, to show how small businesses can drive this change.

The African Union Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Forum, which took place from 9 to 13 September, gave small businesses a chance to improve their skills, showcase their offerings and build networks.

Under the slogan “Supporting Financial Development and Educational Innovation for African Startups and SMEs”, the Forum offered entrepreneurs the knowledge and contacts to help them succeed in intra-Africa trade.

Over 60 small companies from the ICT, creative industries, agriculture, mining and manufacturing sectors took part.

The International Trade Centre (ITC) led sessions with partners on youth empowerment, digital transformation and investment, and entrepreneurship as part of its One Trade Africa initiative.

Showcasing African businesses

The Enterprise Africa Network Fellowship was launched at the Forum as part of the AU SME strategy. This 12-month programme offers training and mentoring to 50 small businesses.

“We look forward to this programme providing small businesses with the skills, tools and connections they need to capitalise on the African Continental Free Trade Area and sell their goods across borders,” said Pamela Coke-Hamilton, ITC Executive Director.

As a training partner for the Fellowship Programme, ITC joined forces with the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board to provide pitching training ahead of the Chelete Pitching Competition at the Forum.

Unlocking the Potential of Small Businesses Through Technology

Working with Alibaba and AUC, ITC delivered workshops for African small businesses to equip them with the knowledge, skills and tools they need to leverage e-commerce opportunities, with a focus on business-to-business platforms.

The session was the first step in the implementation of a new Digital Innovation Accelerator for African MSMEs project supported by the China International Development Cooperation Agency. The initiative will support online stores for 100 African small businesses, covering 1,000 products.

ITC also organised a session with the African Youth Business Council to discuss educational technologies and education for trade readiness in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The session showcased the latest educational technologies, presented online training platforms, including the ITC-Afreximbank “How to Export with AfCFTA” platform, and enabled the exchange of knowledge between innovative startups.

Adam Alqali, Chair of the Council, encouraged young entrepreneurs to “explore the enormous entrepreneurial opportunities offered by the ever-expanding educational technology sector – a new and profitable sector that not only promotes inclusive education and learning for all, but also serves to create wealth.”

Promoting competitiveness through high-quality infrastructure

On the sidelines of the Forum, ITC participated in the third meeting of the Africa Quality Policy Council. Key events included the discussion of the Africa Quality Policy Action Plan and the implementation of the African Continental Trade Facilitation Framework. ITC presented its quality collaboration with the AUC and the Pan-African Quality Infrastructure, including the forthcoming “Made in Africa” Concept Testing and Benchmarking Study.