Dr Amany Asfour, President of the Africa Business Council, has called for practical measures to ensure that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade translates from policy into measurable economic impact.
Speaking at the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) during the panel session on “Building an Inclusive AfCFTA” on Wednesday 4th February, 2026, Dr Asfour emphasised the need for a holistic approach that she described as the “triad of empowerment,” consisting of personal empowerment programs, policy advocacy, and product development.
“Personal empowerment programs are essential for women-led SMEs across all levels,” she said, highlighting the need for training, financial inclusion, knowledge sharing, and capacity building. The second pillar, policy advocacy, she explained, requires governments to implement policies that actively support women, such as earmarking a percentage of government procurement for women-led SMEs—a policy already successfully applied in Kenya, where 30% of procurement is reserved for SMEs, youth, women, and people with disabilities.
Dr Asfour stressed the importance of an enabling environment that allows informal enterprises to transition into the formal sector. “How can women move from informal to formal without incentives, financial literacy, and good bookkeeping? The entire ecosystem must be supportive,” she said.
The third pillar, product development, focuses on leveraging Africa’s abundant natural resources to create value-added goods and services.
Dr Asfour highlighted missed opportunities in sectors such as mining, agriculture, and fashion. She cited the export of raw shea butter for $90 million while the global cosmetics industry utilising shea butter exceeds $500 billion, emphasizing the need for processing, branding, packaging, and digital marketing.
Using a concrete example from Zambia, Dr Asfour illustrated how lack of knowledge can limit women’s economic potential. Women mining rose quartz were selling “waste” rocks for $1.50 per bucket, unaware that processed, high-grade quartz could fetch over $8,000 per bucket. “Knowledge and information are critical,” she said.
She further urged stakeholders to work collaboratively to ensure that women and youth not only participate in AfCFTA but also benefit from its full economic potential. “We have good policies, but we must focus on empowerment, policy, and product development to make the protocol operational and transformative,” Dr Asfour said.
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