The African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, in partnership with Google, has launched a strategic initiative to equip 7,500 small and medium-sized enterprises across the continent with digital trade and artificial intelligence capabilities. This collaborative programme aims to empower a diverse range of entrepreneurs with practical tools to navigate the shifting technological and commercial landscapes that define contemporary African economies.
The AfCFTA Digital Inclusion and Entrepreneurship Programme builds upon the Google Hustle Academy, which has previously supported over 18,000 small businesses since 2022. With this latest partnership, the emphasis shifts from merely digital literacy to a more sophisticated suite of business-critical competencies that include AI-powered solutions, cloud computing and cross-border trade facilitation. This approach addresses the increasing relevance of digitally enabled commerce in Africa’s integration agenda and reflects a growing recognition of the role of SMEs in shaping a sustainable and inclusive trade ecosystem.
The programme offers action-based learning in three key areas. The module on cross-border digital trade, developed in consultation with the AfCFTA Secretariat, translates policy frameworks into functional knowledge for business owners. It introduces participants to market access strategies, logistical know-how and digital transaction mechanisms that can enable intra-African trade. The module focused on cloud applications provides participants with operational skills to enhance productivity through secure cloud-based collaboration tools such as Google Workspace and Google Cloud. The third module introduces accessible artificial intelligence solutions, with entrepreneurs trained to use AI tools including Google Gemini for automating repetitive tasks, content generation and customer analytics.
As African policymakers increasingly embrace digitalisation as an engine for development, the AfCFTA Secretariat has positioned this programme within a broader framework of inclusive policy execution. It is aligned with key instruments of the trade area including the Protocol on Digital Trade and the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade. These instruments are designed to ensure that marginalised groups including women, youth, persons with disabilities and rural entrepreneurs are not left behind in the digital transition.
Commenting on the launch, H E Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, reiterated that the initiative reflects the trade bloc’s commitment to inclusive growth through technology. By integrating digital capacity building into trade facilitation, the Secretariat seeks to ensure that small businesses, often excluded from formalised trade channels, become vital actors in the economic integration of the continent.
Charles Murito, Google’s Regional Director for Government Affairs and Public Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighted the broader vision underpinning the collaboration. He noted that the initiative goes beyond technical training, aiming to catalyse entrepreneurship by equipping businesses with scalable tools to thrive in an increasingly digitised economy. Murito described technology as a leveller in business opportunity and a critical enabler of inclusive economic participation.
Training will be delivered in English, Arabic, French and Portuguese to reflect Africa’s linguistic diversity. This pan-African approach reinforces accessibility and inclusion, ensuring that entrepreneurs from a broad array of member states can participate meaningfully. Selected countries participating in the programme include Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia, Angola, Mozambique, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.
UpSkill Universe, a pan-African digital training provider, will oversee delivery. Its CEO, Gori Yahaya, noted that many African entrepreneurs are already innovating in complex and rapidly changing environments. The programme, according to Yahaya, will provide them with tools to adapt, scale and respond to challenges posed by digital transitions, artificial intelligence and shifting consumer behaviours.
Applications are currently open to SMEs that have been operational for at least six months and are based in one of the participating AfCFTA member states. Training will commence in November 2025 and continue across 25 cohorts until June 2026. Interested businesses can find more information and apply by visiting https://apo-opa.co/47MJNY8.
The design of this initiative underscores a wider continental recognition that digital transformation must be both accessible and inclusive. It affirms that when African enterprises are equipped with the right tools and training, they are well positioned to shape economic futures not merely as participants but as architects of a trade-led development agenda that is both indigenous and innovative.
