Women and SMEs Key to AfCFTA Success – Trade Minister
By Praisebell Rosemond Larbi
Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has underscored the central role of women, youth and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), calling for their deliberate inclusion as Africa moves from policy commitments to full-scale implementation of the single market.
Speaking at the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogue in Accra, the minister said Ghana is actively translating the AfCFTA’s vision into practical industrial and trade interventions aimed at boosting value addition, expanding exports and ensuring broad-based participation in intra-African trade. She noted that women’s economic empowerment has been intentionally mainstreamed across all pillars of Ghana’s trade, agribusiness and industrial policies.
Delivering a keynote address on Day Two of the Dialogue, themed “Empowering SMEs, Women & Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade,” Ofosu-Adjare described Ghana’s hosting of the AfCFTA Secretariat as both symbolic and strategic, reflecting Africa’s shared ambition for deeper integration, industrialisation and economic transformation.
She highlighted the progress made under the AfCFTA since the commencement of trading in January 2021, pointing to nearly 50 country ratifications, expanded participation in the Guided Trade Initiative, and the adoption of the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade. According to her, the protocol represents a binding continental commitment to inclusion, rather than a symbolic gesture.
“MSMEs account for over 90 percent of businesses and the majority of employment across Africa. In Ghana, women lead nearly half of these enterprises, while our youthful population represents an unparalleled source of innovation and productivity. Empowering them is not optional; it is an economic imperative,” the minister stated.
She explained that under President John Dramani Mahama, Ghana has refocused its industrial and trade strategy to address structural bottlenecks that have historically constrained competitiveness. These reforms, she said, are designed to accelerate value addition, strengthen export capacity and reduce reliance on raw commodity exports. As part of this shift, the ministry’s mandate has been expanded to include agribusiness, while initiatives such as the Feed the Industry Programme are being rolled out to address raw material supply challenges and deepen linkages between agriculture and manufacturing.
Ofosu-Adjare told participants that several government programmes are already yielding results. More than 2,800 businesses have been sensitised on export procedures and market access opportunities under the AfCFTA, over 155,000 entrepreneurs have received training nationwide, and more than 6,000 start-ups have benefited from targeted support. She added that access to finance for women- and youth-led enterprises has been expanded, with additional funding channels activated through the World Bank-supported Ghana Economic Transformation Project.
Looking ahead, the minister outlined four key priorities for unlocking AfCFTA opportunities at scale: the full operationalisation of AfCFTA protocols and institutions; sustained investment in digital and physical trade infrastructure; innovative and affordable financing solutions tailored to women and youth enterprises; and stronger public-private partnerships and cross-border collaboration to scale regional value chains.
She concluded by reaffirming Ghana’s commitment to working closely with African partners to ensure that the AfCFTA delivers inclusive industrialisation, competitive exports and shared prosperity, with women, youth and SMEs firmly positioned at the heart of Africa’s single market agenda.
