Updates

Cameroon, Benin and Senegal Poised for Export Growth Under the AfCFTA

19 December 2024
ITC News

As Benin and Senegal move closer to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), small businesses are seizing new opportunities to expand their reach across African markets.

The Arab Africa Trade Bridges AATB program and The International Trade Centre (ITC) are working across the region to prepare small businesses for the benefits of free trade within Africa. The workshops in Cameroon, Benin and Senegal kicked off with a comprehensive four-day practical training on How to Export with the AfCFTA. The curriculum was developed through the ITC One Trade Africa Initiative in collaboration with Afreximbank.

‘Exporting is not easy for a company,’ said ITC expert and trainer Ilyas Choubaili. ‘It is necessary to prepare, be ready to export, optimize cross-border trade, and logistics, penetrate the market, and carry out risk studies.’

Training Focused on Practical Outcomes

The workshops were  implemented by the ITC SME Trade Academy,; the L'Agence Sénégalaise de Promotion des Exportation (ASEPEX); the Benin Chamber of Commerce and Industry and L’Agence de Promotion des PME (APME) Cameroon.

Entrepreneurs learned to streamline export processes, identify high-potential markets, and ensure compliance with regulations.

The training is part of efforts in both countries to join and take maximum advantage of the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative as it enters its second phase. In each country, local trainers learned how to conduct the workshops themselves. They then gained hands-on experience by leading the workshop with ITC experts for the entrepreneurs. This component highlighted the technical considerations, export opportunities, and financial benefits of the AfCFTA.

Businesses worked with trainers to assess their export readiness and explored logistics challenges and opportunities in intra-African trade. They identified high-potential export markets, selected best-fit markets and ensured compliance with export documentation and trade regulations under the AfCFTA.

For intra-African trade to grow, we need to inform, engage and equip the African private sector with the tools it needs to export successfully to other African markets,’ said ITC expert Magatte Ndoye.

Equipped with this knowledge, the new trainers will continue working with small businesses across Benin and Senegal, helping them to unlock new market opportunities, enhance competitiveness, and actively engage in regional trade.

Strenghening Regional and Arab-African Trade, these workshops were funded by the Arab-Africa Trade Bridges (AATB) Programme, a multi-country and multi-donors initiative , which aims to strengthen economic ties between Arab and African regions by facilitating knowledge exchange, capacity building, and market connections. The AATB Programme is committed to unlocking new economic opportunities, promote sustainable development, and enhance trade flows across key sectors.

This marks a significant step forward in realizing the promise of the AfCFTA by driving inclusive growth and empowering small businesses to thrive in regional trade.