The McDan Group has supported over 5,000 women entrepreneurs across Africa through interest-free loans and capacity-building programs, Executive Chairman Daniel McKorley announced on Thursday, February 5, 2026.
Speaking at Day 2 of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues at the Accra International Conference Centre, McKorley emphasized the economic significance of empowering women-led enterprises as a driver of continental growth.
McKorley said women own about a third of formal businesses and up to 80 to 90 percent of informal businesses, yet they face some of the highest barriers to finance. He described this as not just a gender issue but an economic inefficiency, adding that supporting these women is supporting Africa’s growth.
Through interest-free loan initiatives and targeted capacity-building programs, the McDan Group has enabled female entrepreneurs to scale operations, aggregate resources, and expand their reach beyond local markets. The program also seeks to integrate women-led businesses into the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), connecting them with regional supply chains, logistics networks, and financial tools.
McKorley emphasized that every year, millions of young Africans enter the job market, but formal employment opportunities are insufficient. He said enterprise, not just employment, is the answer, noting that by empowering women entrepreneurs, jobs are created, regional value chains are strengthened, and wealth circulates within the continent.
Recounting his entrepreneurial journey, McKorley recalled how he dropped out of school in 1996 and began trading maize across Ghana, eventually expanding into coffee. He said during that journey, he noticed 90 percent of those he was dealing with were women, which is where he developed his commitment to supporting women entrepreneurs.
Highlighting Africa’s demographic and economic potential, McKorley noted that by 2050, one out of every four people will be African. He said the continent has the youngest workforce on earth, rising innovation hubs, expanding cities, and a continental market now unified under the AfCFTA.
Despite this potential, McKorley warned that intra-African trade still lags at 15 to 18 percent of total trade, compared with nearly 60 percent in Asia and 70 percent in Europe. He likened the situation to having a massive family but buying from strangers instead of trading with each other.
McKorley stressed that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are not a side story but the economy itself, providing up to 80 percent of jobs across Africa. However, he acknowledged persistent challenges, including high transport costs, inconsistent customs processes, and fragmented regulations, which often make moving goods within Africa more expensive than shipping to other continents.
McKorley, who has been in logistics and shipping for three decades, described these as system problems, not market problems. He called for digital systems, one-stop shops at border posts, and mutual recognition of standards to harmonize trade practices, adding that harmonization is not a technical detail but the difference between a small business scaling or shutting down.
The McDan Group has taken proactive steps to enhance connectivity within Africa, including the Black Star Line and the Conduct Trading Company, aimed at facilitating cargo movement by sea and air. McKorley stressed that without infrastructure such as ships, trucks, ports, rails, and logistic networks, trade cannot thrive.
McKorley called on governments, financial institutions, and the private sector to work together to create an enabling environment for SMEs, noting that enterprise, not just employment, is key to absorbing Africa’s growing workforce. He said if African countries get this right, a small agro-processor in Tamale, a fashion entrepreneur in Nairobi, or a tech startup in Kigali will not think of themselves as local businesses but will think and operate as African businesses.
