International Trade Centre and Access Bank partner to support African SMEs

The International Trade Centre (ITC) and Access Bank’s Access Africa Office have launched a three-year partnership to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across 14 African nations. The initiative, formalized via a Memorandum of Understanding signed alongside the UN General Assembly, focuses on five key areas: job creation, access to finance (specifically for women- and youth-owned businesses), business sustainability, digital capacity building, and expanded market access under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The program will begin with a pilot phase in Ghana from September 2026 to June 2027, prioritizing women-led enterprises through digital learning modules and training frameworks. Following the pilot, the initiative intends to scale to 13 additional countries, including Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia.

While the partnership aims to bridge critical funding and capacity gaps, specific funding allocations for individual countries, such as Cameroon, have not yet been disclosed. The program seeks to leverage Access Bank’s regional network of over 700 branches to foster inclusive economic growth and support UN Sustainable Development Goals.