Empowering SMEs, Women & Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade.
Background
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents the world’s largest free trade area by membership, yet its ultimate success will be measured by its impact on the ground. If the AfCFTA is to succeed, it must be inclusive–owned and driven by its core economic agents notably, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Women, and Youth.
Held under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Ghana, its host nation, the Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) is the premier annual forum where Africa’s business and political leaders meet to translate, with urgency, the promise of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) into tangible reality.
Now in its fourth year, APD has evolved rapidly from a dialogue platform into a decisive “Boardroom of Africa,” engineered, in collaboration with the AfCFTA Secretariat and other strategic partners, to broker deals, shape policy, promote collective ownership and accelerate the delivery of a single, borderless market for our 1.5 billion citizens.
Theme for APD 2026: “Empowering SMEs, Women and Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade.”
APD 2026 moves beyond rhetoric to deliver concrete outcomes for SMEs- the engine of our economy, accounting for over 80% of employment. It seeks to unlock the potential of SMEs, women and youth, not just an option, but as the definitive pathway to optimising intra-African trade and solving youth unemployment.
Women contribute nearly 50% of Africa’s GDP (UNECA, 2021), yet face systemic barriers in finance, market access, and trade networks. Closing gender gaps in trade could boost intra-African commerce by 15% annually (AfCFTA Secretariat).
Youth represent 60% of Africa’s population (World Bank, 2023), yet unemployment remains alarmingly high. Empowering young entrepreneurs could create 50 million jobs by 2030 (AfDB, 2021).
SMEs form the backbone of Africa’s economy, accounting for 80% of employment and 50% of GDP (Afreximbank, 2022). Yet, only 20% engage in cross-border trade due to regulatory and financial hurdles (ITC, 2021).
Central to the theme for APD 2026 is the call to Innovate. Collaborate. Trade. APD 2026 will focus on Women, Youth and SMEs and advocate for a single African market through the following:
Addressing ways to unlock the $15 billion in untapped potential leveraging the AfCFTA’s Protocol on Women in Trade.
Harness Africa’s youth dividend by creating opportunities that bridge the skills gap, accelerate digital trade, and connect young entrepreneurs to regional markets.
Empower SMEs for cross-border success by pushing for simplified trade procedures, expanded financing, and cost reduction.
The Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) 2026 will provide a platform for unlocking the transformative potential of SMEs, Women, and Youth in Africa’s single market under the AfCFTA- bringing together policymakers, investors, innovators, and diaspora leaders to ignite collaboration, showcase scalable solutions, and dismantle barriers to inclusive trade. With Africa’s SMEs driving 80% of employment yet facing a $331 billion financing gap, women entrepreneurs receiving less than 2% of venture capital, and youth representing both the continent’s greatest asset and its most underserved demographic, this event is where practical discussions will create actionable policies for bankable projects.
Attend to network with change makers, discover high growth investment opportunities, and shape the future of the world’s next billion-dollar market, because Africa’s prosperity hinges on empowering those who fuel its economy.
APD 2026 is the transformational platform where Women, Youth, and SMEs will gain the knowledge, networks, and trade-ready strategies needed to thrive in Africa’s single market.
