Ghana’s Trade, Agribusiness and Industry Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare has called for women, youth and small and medium-sized enterprises to be placed at the centre of Africa’s single market agenda, as countries move from ratification to full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area(AfCFTA).
Speaking at the Africa Prosperity Dialogue 2026 in Accra, Ofosu-Adjare said Ghana is translating the AfCFTA’s ambitions into concrete industrial and trade actions focused on value addition, export growth and inclusive participation. She said women’s empowerment has been deliberately integrated across all pillars of Ghana’s trade and industrial policy.
Delivering a keynote address on Day Two of the Dialogue, themed “Empowering SMEs, Women & Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade,” the minister described Accra’s hosting of the AfCFTA Secretariat as a symbol of Africa’s collective aspiration for integration and economic transformation.
According to her, progress under the AfCFTA since trading began in January 2021 includes nearly 50 ratifications, expanded participation in the Guided Trade Initiative and the adoption of the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade, which she described as a binding commitment to inclusion.
“MSMEs account for over 90% of businesses and the majority of employment across Africa. In Ghana, women lead nearly half of these enterprises, while our youthful population represents an unparalleled source of innovation and productivity. Empowering them is not optional, it is an economic imperative,” Ofosu-Adjare said.
She said Ghana, under President John Dramani Mahama, has refocused its industrial and trade strategy to close long-standing gaps, accelerate value addition and strengthen export capacity. Key measures include the expansion of the ministry’s mandate to cover agribusiness and the implementation of the Feed the Industry Programme to address raw material supply constraints and strengthen linkages between agriculture and industry.
The minister told attendees that government programmes have sensitised more than 2,800 businesses on export procedures and market access, trained over 155,000 entrepreneurs nationwide and supported more than 6,000 start-ups. She added that access to finance for women- and youth-led enterprises has been expanded, with additional funding channels activated under the World Bank-backed Ghana Economic Transformation Project.
To unlock AfCFTA opportunities at scale, Ofosu-Adjare identified four priorities: full operationalisation of the AfCFTA, investment in digital and physical trade infrastructure, innovative financing solutions for women and youth enterprises, and stronger public-private and cross-border partnerships to scale regional value chains.
The minister concluded by noting that Ghana remains committed to working with African partners to ensure the AfCFTA delivers inclusive industrialisation, competitive exports and shared prosperity across the continent.
By Nelson Ayivor