The Africa Prosperity Network (APN) has presented a comprehensive outcome document urging African Union member states to adopt bold reforms that place small and medium-sized enterprises, women-led businesses and young innovators at the centre of Africa’s continental trade transformation under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Delivering the presentation of the outcome document at the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues on Thursday 5th February 2026, Kwaku Sakyi-Addo, an Executive Board Member of Africa Prosperity Network (APN), said discussions across seven sessions made it clear that Africa’s single market cannot deliver inclusive growth unless women, youth and SMEs are empowered with the financing, policy support and market access required to compete and scale.
He noted that one of the key proposals from the dialogue was the establishment of a Pan-African Women’s Business Council, which would link large corporations with trade-ready women-led SMEs and help them access affordable working capital through the credit strength of bigger companies.
According to him, participants stressed that procurement should be turned into a powerful tool for economic inclusion, allowing women entrepreneurs to benefit more directly from corporate value chains across the continent.
Mr Sakyi-Addo explained that the dialogue also focused strongly on value addition and export readiness, with participants advancing the vision of “Made in Africa by African women” as a pathway to industrial growth. However, he said a major challenge identified was the $42 billion financing gap that continues to limit women’s ability to transition into manufacturing and higher value-added production.
In response, the dialogue recommended the creation of an AfCFTA Women’s Trade Development Fund, backed by development banks and impact investors, to support innovative financing instruments, fintech solutions, and AfCFTA-aligned e-commerce platforms.
The adoption of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System, commonly known as PAPSS, was also highlighted as essential to enabling fast, low-cost cross-border payments and strengthening intra-African trade for women-led enterprises.
Mr Sakyi-Addo said participants agreed that efficient payment systems are critical for building competitive regional value chains and ensuring that small businesses can trade across borders without excessive transaction costs.
Turning attention to broader SME financing challenges, he noted that African SMEs face an estimated $3.33 trillion annual financing gap, largely because traditional banking models are not suited to modern, asset-light businesses. The dialogue, therefore, called for expanded use of fintech-based credit scoring, supply chain finance, warehouse receipt systems, and venture debt to unlock new sources of capital. Participants further recommended that the African Union and Afreximbank establish a Pan-African SME credit guarantee scheme to reduce lending risks, with priority support for women- and youth-led enterprises.
In addition, the outcome document proposed the creation of a digital SME trade hub that would provide businesses with market information, regulatory guidance and partnership opportunities across the continent.
Mr Sakyi-Addo said such a platform would help SMEs overcome information gaps and connect more effectively to cross-border value chains.
On trade facilitation, the dialogue concluded that AfCFTA cannot succeed without the full implementation of the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons.
Mr Sakyi-Addo pointed out that SMEs continue to face non-tariff barriers such as border delays, harassment and persistent payment challenges, which undermine the ease of doing business across African borders. Participants therefore recommended simplifying trade documentation, accelerating ratification of the Free Movement Protocol and launching a non-tariff barriers elimination dashboard supported by a dedicated SME complaint mechanism.
The discussions also explored the role of Africa’s digital and creative economy in driving the continent’s single market and strengthening its global soft power. Africa’s youth were recognised as key drivers of growth, particularly in digital innovation and creative industries, yet weak intellectual property protection and fragmented regulations continue to limit their ability to scale.
Mr Sakyi-Addo said the dialogue urged harmonisation of digital trade rules, data protection laws and intellectual property frameworks under AfCFTA, while also calling for faster adoption of the African Union Cybersecurity and Data Protection Convention. Participants proposed the creation of a Pan-African Creative and Digital Content Exchange platform to support licensing, distribution and revenue retention within Africa.
In the final session, participants called for a fundamental shift in how Africa views its youth, urging leaders to move beyond seeing young people as beneficiaries and instead recognise them as solution creators and leaders of Africa’s industrial future.
Misaligned education systems and limited access to long-term capital were identified as major obstacles, prompting recommendations for AfCFTA youth industrialisation parks, youth representation in national AfCFTA committees and the creation of a youth venture capital fund through the African Development Bank to support high-growth youth-led businesses.
Sakyi-Addo added that the seven sessions demonstrated clearly that empowering SMEs, women and youth is essential to achieving AfCFTA’s promise of shared prosperity and sustainable development.
He said the dialogue produced practical and actionable recommendations that participants want the African Union to adopt as a strategic blueprint and integrate into AfCFTA’s monitoring and implementation frameworks, ensuring that Africa’s single market delivers jobs and opportunities for all Africans.
He also expressed appreciation to H.E. Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) Advisory Council, for her commitment throughout the proceedings, as well as to all participants who contributed to shaping the outcomes of the dialogue.
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