Selected Ghanaian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially those led by youth and women, received targeted training to strengthen their capacity to participate in intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The three-day programme was organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ghana, the Embassy of Japan, and Ghana’s AfCFTA National Coordination Office, under the theme “Unlocking Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Context of the AfCFTA.”
The initiative provided SMEs with practical tools to overcome customs, logistics, and financing challenges, while also enabling export readiness and investment pitching. Participants received guidance on key AfCFTA provisions, tariff liberalization schedules, rules of origin, and the use of the AfCFTA e-tariff book to facilitate cross-border trade. In addition, SMEs were trained to develop bankable investment profiles to attract funding and understand Ghana’s investment promotion policies and continental trade incentives.
The programme included a Business-to-Business (B2B) engagement platform, fostering trade linkages, technology transfer, and potential investment partnerships among participants. UNDP Resident Representative Niloy Banerjee emphasized that SMEs, which account for nearly 70% of private sector employment in Ghana, are central to economic growth, and capacity building is essential to fully leverage AfCFTA opportunities.
Ambassador Yoshimoto Hiroshi highlighted the importance of industrialization, export diversification, and job creation, noting that SMEs often face logistical inefficiencies and cumbersome customs procedures. Benjamin Kwaku Asiam, Acting Coordinator of Ghana’s AfCFTA National Coordination Office, stressed that without equipping SMEs with knowledge and skills, the trade agreement risks underutilization.
Participants, including Teresa Poku of OHU Farms Limited, welcomed the training as a timely intervention, highlighting the persistent challenges of cross-border logistics, customs delays, and the need for export readiness skills. Organisers expressed optimism that sustained capacity building and policy support will enable Ghanaian SMEs to effectively expand across the AfCFTA market.
