The International Trade Centre (ITC) and Access Bank have entered a three-year partnership aimed at helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) improve access to finance, markets and skills across 14 African countries.
The programme will begin with a pilot in Ghana from September 2026 to June 2027, with women-led businesses prioritised among the participating enterprises.
The partnership was formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The countries covered by the initiative are Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.
The programme will focus on five areas: SME-driven job creation, access to finance, business sustainability, capacity building and access to markets.
Women- and youth-owned businesses will receive particular attention, while training will include digital trade skills and other tools intended to help businesses become more competitive.
The partners also plan to support intra-African trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), alongside initiatives designed to strengthen the ability of small businesses to participate in regional markets.
Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, said limited access to finance remains a major obstacle for many African small businesses seeking to participate in trade.
She said the partnership would combine financing with knowledge, networks and market connections to help businesses grow.
Seyi Kumapayi, Executive Director, African Subsidiaries at Access Bank, said finance alone was not sufficient to take a small business to the next level.
According to him, combining capital with market access and trade-ready skills would give businesses a stronger foundation for expansion.
The Ghana pilot will draw on ITC's existing digital learning tools and training-of-trainers programmes, delivered in collaboration with Access Africa Office staff.
The partners intend to expand the programme to additional countries from 2027, including advanced training on sustainability standards and digital marketplace tools.
The initiative reflects a broader effort to address financing and market-access challenges facing African SMEs, which play an important role in employment and economic activity across the continent.
Access Bank currently operates across 25 countries on three continents, while ITC works with SMEs in developing and transition economies to strengthen their participation in international markets.
