Ghana’s Trade Ministry has taken its continental digital trade awareness campaign outside Accra, holding a capacity-building workshop in Kumasi specifically aimed at equipping smaller businesses in the country’s commercial heartland with the knowledge to compete under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) digital trade framework.
The workshop, organised by the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry with support from ODI Global’s Supporting Investment and Trade in Africa (SITA) programme, focused on disseminating the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol and advancing the goals of Ghana’s National E-Commerce Strategy, which was validated in 2025 in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Organisers selected Kumasi because of its role as Ghana’s primary inland commercial hub linking the country’s northern and southern trade corridors, giving the programme direct access to businesses that rarely participate in Accra-based policy engagements. The session brought together regulators, private sector operators, and development partners.
A central focus was broadening participation among groups historically left out of formal trade frameworks, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), women and youth-led businesses, and persons with disabilities. Participants received practical guidance on how the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol reduces barriers to online cross-border commerce and how Ghana’s national e-commerce infrastructure can serve as a launchpad for continental market entry.
Ghana ranks 15th out of 47 African countries in the ICT Development Index and has achieved near-universal broadband coverage through partnerships between private operators and government, though challenges remain in affordability and reliability in outlying regions. Government officials have identified digital trade as crucial for boosting exports, creating employment, and expanding market access, particularly for businesses outside Greater Accra.
The AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol is a driver of a projected USD 712 billion African digital economy by 2050 and includes practical tools such as local currency payment systems to eliminate conversion costs and an AfCFTA Hub designed specifically for MSME inclusion. The Kumasi engagement forms part of a broader national rollout to ensure that protocol’s benefits reach businesses across all 16 regions before the AfCFTA’s accelerated implementation phase begins later this year.
