LocationsUnlocking Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in Ghana
Project Summary
Africa's economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) represents a historic opportunity to create a single market of over 1.4 billion people. With the potential to double intra-African trade, the AfCFTA is expected to drive significant job creation and stimulate economic growth. However, many African Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) continue to face challenges including complex regulatory environments and limited market access that hinder their ability to scale. At the same time, Japanese investors are increasingly interested in Africa's growth potential but require clear market intelligence and harmonised regulatory frameworks to reduce investment risks. Building on Ghana's strategic location, robust trade infrastructure, and vibrant private sector, UNDP Ghana is supporting efforts to unlock trade and investment opportunities under the AfCFTA by empowering women and youth-led MSMEs, enhancing trade readiness, and attracting investment particularly from Japan through targeted investment policy support, capacity building, and Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Government (B2G) linkages. The project runs from April 2025 to March 2026 with a budget of $200,000, funded by the Government of Japan.
Objectives
The project aims to empower women and youth-led MSMEs to enhance their trade readiness and attract investment, develop knowledge products and policy advocacy tools on priority value chains and persistent barriers to trade, and deliver national capacity-building trainings alongside Business-to-Business and Business-to-Government dialogues to strengthen trade and investment linkages.
Gender Empowerment
The project places a deliberate focus on empowering women and youth-led MSMEs, ensuring that Ghana's participation in the AfCFTA is inclusive and that trade and investment opportunities are accessible to those who have historically been underserved in formal trade frameworks.
Building Ghana's Trade Readiness Under the AfCFTA
The project commenced with a comprehensive inception phase involving stakeholder mapping and consultations with key government institutions and private sector stakeholders to understand existing priorities, identify key actors, and ensure alignment with national development objectives. It then delivered an AfCFTA Trade and Investment Guide, nationwide capacity-building trainings, and two B2B and B2G dialogues creating stronger business linkages and improved access to trade and investment opportunities for Ghanaian MSMEs.
Expected Results — Achieved
- Over 300 MSMEs strengthened their trade readiness and capacity to access markets and attract investment under the AfCFTA.
- An AfCFTA Trade and Investment Guide developed to support Ghanaian businesses and investors in identifying investment opportunities and navigating trade under the AfCFTA.
- Nationwide capacity-building trainings conducted and two B2B and B2G dialogues facilitated, resulting in stronger business linkages, enhanced collaboration, and improved access to trade and investment opportunities.
