By Lucy Ogalue
The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa are partnering to boost African Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs’) participation in intra-African trade.
This is contained in a statement released by the commission on its website on Wednesday in Abuja.
The partnership will be implemented through DHL’s “GoTrade” programme to equip SMEs with knowledge, tools and capabilities to expand across borders and access regional markets.
The collaboration will focus on capacity building for women and youth-owned businesses, digital transformation, trade innovation, research, analysis and knowledge sharing on cross-border commerce.
According to the statement, ECA and DHL will jointly develop a virtual training programme to help African SMEs understand and leverage opportunities created by regional integration initiatives, including the AfCFTA.
It said the training would cover customs procedures, logistics, e-commerce, digital trade, regulatory compliance, market access and trade finance.
“It will also promote greater participation of women and young entrepreneurs in cross-border trade across Africa,” it said.
Hennie Heymans, CEO, DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, said many African businesses faced practical barriers when expanding beyond their local markets.
Heymans said the challenges included understanding customs requirements, accessing reliable logistics solutions and navigating new markets.
He said regional integration initiatives, particularly the AfCFTA, presented opportunities to strengthen trade across the continent.
According to him, the partnership will help SMEs build capabilities to expand across borders, reach new customers and contribute to inclusive economic growth.
“The collaboration builds on DHL’s GoTrade programme, a global initiative supporting small businesses to participate more effectively in international trade.
“Since 2021, GoTrade has launched projects in more than 50 countries, supporting over 24,000 SMEs globally, including more than 8,000 women-owned businesses.
“In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 8,000 SMEs have participated in GoTrade programmes and capacity-building initiatives,” he said.
The commission said that AfCFTA could accelerate industrialisation, strengthen regional value chains, expand intra-African trade and deepen economic integration across the continent.
It projected that full implementation of the AfCFTA could boost intra-African trade by 45 per cent by 2045.
The MoU establishes a non-exclusive framework for cooperation over an initial three-year period to identify and implement initiatives supporting African SMEs.(NAN)