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The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, in collaboration with Google, has introduced a major initiative designed to equip 7,500 small and medium-sized enterprises across Africa with advanced digital trade and artificial intelligence skills. The partnership aims to provide entrepreneurs with practical, business-ready tools to navigate the rapidly evolving technological and commercial landscape shaping Africa’s modern economies.
Building on Google’s Hustle Academy—which has supported more than 18,000 small businesses since 2022—the AfCFTA Digital Inclusion and Entrepreneurship Programme shifts the focus from basic digital literacy to a more advanced set of capabilities. These include AI-driven business solutions, cloud technologies and tools that promote seamless cross-border trade. The initiative aligns with Africa’s broader economic integration goals and recognises the essential role SMEs play in fostering inclusive, sustainable trade.
The programme delivers hands-on training in three core areas. A digital cross-border trade module, developed with the AfCFTA Secretariat, converts policy frameworks into actionable guidance on market access, logistics and digital transaction systems to help SMEs expand into new African markets. A cloud applications module introduces participants to secure, productivity-enhancing tools like Google Workspace and Google Cloud. The third module demystifies artificial intelligence, teaching entrepreneurs to use tools such as Google Gemini for task automation, content creation and customer insights.
Positioned within a wider push toward digitalisation, the initiative supports key AfCFTA instruments such as the Protocol on Digital Trade and the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade. These frameworks aim to ensure that women, young people, persons with disabilities and rural entrepreneurs benefit equitably from the digital transition.
AfCFTA Secretary General H.E. Wamkele Mene emphasised that the programme reflects the bloc’s commitment to using technology to drive inclusive growth. By strengthening digital capacity within SMEs—often excluded from formal trade systems—the Secretariat aims to make them central players in Africa’s economic integration efforts.
Google’s Regional Director for Government Affairs and Public Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa, Charles Murito, highlighted the broader ambition of the collaboration: to stimulate entrepreneurship by giving businesses scalable tools to excel in an increasingly digital marketplace. He described technology as a critical equaliser that expands economic opportunity.
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Training will be delivered in English, Arabic, French and Portuguese to accommodate Africa’s linguistic diversity and ensure accessibility across member states. Participating countries include Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia, Angola, Mozambique, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.
The programme will be implemented by UpSkill Universe, a pan-African digital training provider. CEO Gori Yahaya noted that African entrepreneurs already operate in fast-changing environments and that the programme will equip them with the tools needed to scale, innovate and adapt amid digital shifts and evolving consumer demands.
Ultimately, this initiative demonstrates a growing continental commitment to an inclusive and accessible digital transformation. It underscores the belief that, with the right tools and training, African enterprises can move beyond participation to become leading architects of a homegrown, innovation-driven trade future.
