The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is collaborating with the International Trade Centre (ITC) to enhance trade opportunities in support of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
This partnership aims to empower African small businesses, as well as women and young entrepreneurs, to leverage the AfCFTA and expand business opportunities across the continent.
This joint initiative is being launched as the continent continues to face economic challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative seeks to stimulate economic recovery and strengthen the resilience of African businesses. The ITC and UNDP will work towards increasing business competitiveness, creating employment opportunities, and contributing to the achievement of multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goals 1, 5, 8, 9, 12, and 17.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed during a joint online ceremony to formalize this collaboration. The UNDP and ITC committed to fostering economic empowerment for women, creating economic and job opportunities for young people, broadening access to business information for small enterprises, and promoting e-commerce to strengthen intra-African trade.
The focus on these four areas of work is part of ITC’s “One Trade Africa" initiative. This initiative is designed to empower small businesses, facilitate trade opportunities, and integrate women and young entrepreneurs into the broader market equation within the continent.
This initiative aligns with UNDP's renewed strategic focus in Africa, which centers on promoting structural transformation. Building on the UNDP's Flagship Initiative on Women and Youth and its existing programs that support AfCFTA implementation, this collaboration will boost UNDP's capacity to deliver tangible business support on the ground and help businesses make the most of the benefits provided by the AfCFTA.
UNDP and ITC will implement these objectives through joint actions across African countries. Planned activities include supporting business organizations and incubation centers through training and mentoring, providing critical data to inform policymakers, hosting joint continental events and virtual workshops, and expanding e-learning opportunities. Additionally, the Memorandum of Understanding will establish a framework to enhance the resilience and competitiveness of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), focusing on digital transformation and the green economy.
The goal is to equip small businesses, women entrepreneurs, and young business leaders with the tools to effectively access and benefit from the AfCFTA market. This market is expected to grow significantly and encompass around 1.3 billion consumers by 2050.
As the AfCFTA market expands, the initiative aims to link entrepreneurs to real and lucrative business opportunities across Africa and beyond. "ITC is committed to making the AfCFTA a platform for Africa's economic transformation," stated ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton. "Working with our partners at UNDP, we can ensure that small businesses in Africa—particularly those led by women and young entrepreneurs—find new markets and new pathways to prosperity."
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner emphasized the importance of the initiative: "The AfCFTA offers a real chance for governments and businesses to tackle some of the structural bottlenecks that are preventing Africa from achieving the promise of trade for human development. I am convinced that strengthening intra-African trade will help accelerate the continent's efforts to achieve a better and greener recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic."
Ahunna Eziakonwa, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, expressed confidence in the collaborative approach: "At a time when the world is looking to emerge from the pandemic, we believe that empowering women- and youth-run export businesses to access AfCFTA opportunities is the right approach. This represents the new way of working at the United Nations. We are leveraging UNDP's presence in AfCFTA countries, combined with ITC's SME expertise, to deliver a stronger value proposition for trade that aligns with the SDGs."
Source : www.alwihdainfo.com/AfCFTA-des-initiatives-pour-accroitre-les-opportunites-commerciales-des-petites-entreprises_a105119.html