The International Trade Centre (ITC) and Access Bank have entered a three-year partnership aimed at improving access to finance, markets and skills for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across 14 African countries. The initiative will begin with a pilot programme in Ghana before expanding to additional markets from 2027.
The partnership brings together ITC’s expertise in trade development and business capacity building with Access Bank’s pan-African banking network. The participating countries are Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.
For many African SMEs, access to capital remains closely connected to the ability to reach new customers and markets. The partnership therefore goes beyond traditional financing by combining funding opportunities with business training, market connections and digital trade capabilities.
The programme will focus on five priority areas: SME-driven job creation, access to finance, business sustainability, capacity building and access to markets. Women- and youth-owned businesses will receive particular attention under the financing component, while the market-access element will support intra-African trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The first phase will run from September 2026 to June 2027 and will support a cohort of small businesses in Ghana, with women-led enterprises prioritised. The programme will use ITC’s existing digital learning tools and training-of-trainers programmes, delivered alongside staff from Access Africa Office.
The partners intend to expand the programme from 2027, including advanced training on sustainability standards and digital marketplace tools. This could give participating businesses practical capabilities needed to meet the requirements of larger buyers and participate more effectively in regional and international trade.
The initiative also reflects a broader shift in how SME development is being approached across Africa. Rather than treating finance as a standalone solution, the programme combines capital with knowledge, networks and market access. Access Bank’s African network provides a channel for reaching businesses across multiple markets, while ITC contributes trade expertise and capacity-building resources.
Access Bank currently operates across 25 countries on three continents, with more than 700 branches and over 63 million customers, giving the partnership a substantial regional distribution network.
ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said access to finance remains a major barrier to trade for African small businesses, while Access Bank’s Seyi Kumapayi emphasised that capital needs to be combined with market access and trade-ready skills for businesses to scale.
For African SMEs, the partnership could create a more integrated pathway from business training and financing to regional market participation. Its initial Ghana pilot will provide an early test of how effectively banking infrastructure and trade-development expertise can be combined to help smaller businesses grow and participate in Africa’s increasingly connected marketplace.
Leave a Reply