Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has expressed concern about the low participation of African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in cross-border trade, warning that fewer than 20 per cent of SMEs are involved in export activities.
Speaking at the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues in Accra, she said Africa’s economic transformation agenda cannot be fully achieved without stronger support for SMEs, women and young entrepreneurs. She noted that although the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers a major opportunity for deeper economic integration, many businesses are still unable to benefit from the expanded market.
Prof Opoku-Agyemang described the low level of SME participation in export trade as a major obstacle to building a single integrated African economic space. She also highlighted AfCFTA as the world’s largest free trade area by number of participating countries, covering a market of about 1.3 billion people and offering a pathway for Africa’s shift from dependency to self-reliance.
She stressed that Africa’s future must be inclusive, cautioning that excluding women, young people and small businesses would undermine long-term prosperity. The Vice President added that SMEs account for about 80 per cent of employment across the continent and contribute significantly to GDP, while women, who make up nearly half of Africa’s workforce continue to face barriers in access to finance, mobility and markets.