The Secretariat opens the Southern Africa cohort in Gaborone, equipping SMEs and business support organisations to trade across one African market
Gaborone, Botswana | August 2026 – The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat has opened the Southern Africa cohort of its SME Booster Initiative in Gaborone, bringing together about 300 SMEs and Business Support Organisations from Sothern African Countries along with government institutions and development partners, to prepare African businesses to trade across the continent.
The Gaborone cohort carries the journey southward. The SME Booster began in West Africa, enterprises trained in Sierra Leone, then brought to the Biashara deal room in Lomé to trade, not simply to talk. Botswana marks its next chapter, as the initiative rolls out region by region across the continent, until matching enterprises across borders becomes routine.
The initiative forms part of the Secretariat’s strategy to translate the opportunities created by the AfCFTA Agreement into practical business outcomes — equipping enterprises with the knowledge, partnerships and market intelligence to trade successfully across Africa.
At the opening, participants examined the current state of AfCFTA implementation, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional implementation strategy, and findings from the Southern Africa SME and Business Support Organisation Survey – grounding the practical sessions that follow. Over the cohort, participating SMEs receive support in market intelligence, strategic positioning, product value addition, standards compliance, packaging, branding and export readiness, with the aim of building a stronger pipeline of competitive, export-ready African enterprises.
Addressing participants, Ms. Cynthia E. Gnassingbé-Essonam, Director of Private Sector Engagement and Communications at the AfCFTA Secretariat, stressed that the success of African businesses depends on commercial support that lasts beyond the training room.
“Training alone is not enough. Businesses need continued access to buyers, market intelligence, finance, logistics providers and commercial partners if they are to succeed beyond the workshop room.”
She emphasised that the initiative is designed not only to build technical capacity but to create lasting commercial linkages — connecting SMEs with buyers, investors, logistics providers, financial institutions and business support organisations across Africa.
“The ambition is to build a pipeline of export-ready African businesses and stronger business support organisations that can drive trade across the continent.”
The ultimate measure of AfCFTA implementation, she added, will be businesses trading across borders, partnerships being forged and commercial transactions taking place.
The AfCFTA SME Booster Initiative strengthens the competitiveness of African enterprises by providing practical business support, facilitating market access, fostering regional partnerships, and helping SMEs meet the standards required to compete in continental and global value chains. By bringing together governments, the private sector and development partners, it turns the promise of the AfCFTA Agreement into commercial opportunity, region by region.
The Southern Africa cohort is being implemented with the valued support of the European Union, the Better Than Cash Alliance, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).
About the AfCFTA
The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, the African Union’s long-term development strategy. The Agreement establishing the AfCFTA entered into force on 30 May 2019 and brings together the 55 Member States of the African Union in a single market of about 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of approximately US$3.4 trillion. The AfCFTA is the largest free trade area in the world by number of participating countries. The AfCFTA Secretariat, based in Accra, Ghana, and led by Secretary-General H.E. Wamkele Mene, coordinates implementation of the Agreement in cooperation with State Parties, the Regional Economic Communities and continental institutions.
Media contact
Alexandre Siewe
Senior Advisor, Communications — AfCFTA Secretariat
Email : Alexandre.Siewe@au-afcfta.org Web : au-afcfta.org
