The International Trade Centre and Access Africa Office, the coordinating office for the African subsidiaries of Access Bank Plc, have established a partnership to boost access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises and increase access to markets and skills training in 14 African countries. The programme will start with a pilot in Ghana and cover countries including Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, and South Africa. This partnership aims to address the challenges faced by small businesses in accessing finance and markets.
African small businesses generate most of the continent's jobs but struggle to get the financing and market access they need to grow. This partnership brings together the strength of the UN small business agency and its technical expertise with a pan-African bank's on-the-ground reach to close that gap. Access Bank has a long-standing commitment to closing Africa's SME finance gap through inclusive, sustainable ecosystem banking.
The partnership will focus on five priority areas over three years: job creation through small and medium enterprises, access to finance with particular attention to women- and youth-owned businesses, SME business sustainability, capacity building including digital trade skills, and access to markets. This work advances the UN Sustainable Development Goals 5, 8, and 9. The partnership was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The implementation begins with a pilot phase from September 2026 to June 2027, focused on a cohort of small businesses in Ghana, with women-led enterprises prioritized. The pilot draws on ITC's existing digital learning tools and training-of-trainers programmes, delivered in coordination with Access Africa Office staff. This phase aims to equip small businesses with the knowledge, networks, and market connections they need to grow.
The partnership aims to scale up from 2027 onwards to cover additional countries and programmes, including advanced training on sustainability standards and digital marketplace tools. Access Bank operates across Africa, with a network of more than 700 branches across 25 countries on three continents and over 63 million customers. The bank's extensive reach will be crucial in supporting the growth of small businesses.
Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, Pamela Coke-Hamilton, emphasized that access to finance is the biggest barrier to trade faced by small businesses across Africa. The partnership seeks to tackle this challenge and support enterprises as they grow. By working together, the ITC and Access Bank aim to make a significant impact on the lives of small business owners and their employees.
The partnership between ITCentre and Access Bank has the potential to drive economic growth and job creation in Africa. By supporting small businesses, the partnership can contribute to the development of a more vibrant and sustainable economy. As the programme rolls out, it will be closely watched by stakeholders across the continent.
Key points
- The partnership will focus on five priority areas: job creation, access to finance, SME business sustainability, capacity building, and access to markets.
- The programme will start with a pilot in Ghana and cover 14 African countries.
- The partnership aims to tackle the challenge of access to finance faced by small businesses across Africa.
