The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has launched a regional capacity building programme in Freetown, Sierra Leone, aimed at preparing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), particularly those led by women and youth, to compete under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The Regional Assessment and Capacity Building Programme for Business Support Organizations (BSOs) and women and youth-owned enterprises ran from May 6 to 8, 2026, drawing over 100 participants from government institutions, development partners, and the private sector across West Africa.
The initiative was organised in collaboration with the AfCFTA Secretariat and Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, with support from the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the European Union, GIZ, BMZ, and the International Trade Centre (ITC).
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Alpha Ibrahim Sesay, highlighted the importance of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) and AfCFTA in advancing regional trade integration, and urged participants to deepen export readiness and share knowledge within their home countries. Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs Dr. Isata Mahoi pressed for adequate empowerment of women and youth led enterprises to fully benefit from AfCFTA opportunities.
Representing the ECOWAS Commission, Ambassador John Azumah commended Sierra Leone for becoming the first AfCFTA State Party to complete the AfCFTA Readiness Assessment under AFIRM, and reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to helping member states build enabling environments for business.
Ms. Cynthia Gnassingbe-Essonam, Director of Private Sector and Communication at the AfCFTA Secretariat, said the programme forms part of the broader AfCFTA SME Booster Initiative, designed to equip African businesses with the practical tools and institutional support needed to trade competitively across the continent.
Technical sessions covered value addition, certification, rules of origin, trade facilitation, access to finance, digital trade, and regional market opportunities. The programme also feeds into preparations for BIASHARA AFRIKA 2026, a continental business initiative scheduled in Lomé, Togo.
