Abuja, Nigeria | 29 June 2026 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) today convened the HerAfCFTA Regional Conference in Abuja alongside the 2026 AfCFTA Council of Ministers Meeting, bringing together African leaders, Ministers of Trade, policymakers, women entrepreneurs, private sector leaders, financial institutions, development partners and regional organizations to advance women's economic leadership and unlock the full potential of Africa's single market.

Held as Africa marks progress on AfCFTA implementation, the Conference came at a critical moment in the continent's economic integration journey, as attention shifts from policy commitments to the practical solutions that will determine whether the single market delivers for all.

The next phase requires strengthening productive capacity, expanding market access, mobilizing investment and enabling African enterprises, particularly women-led businesses and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to compete and grow across regional markets.

"Africa is not a market to be exploited. We are 1.4 billion people with agency, ambition and the right to determine our own future," said Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa, UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa. "That future is being shaped by African women driving African businesses, serving African customers and creating African wealth. And we will not be denied."

Speaking on Nigeria's role, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, said: "If the AfCFTA is to fulfil its promise, it must fulfil it for the women who already carry a significant portion of Africa's trade. Over half of the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises that make up the bulk of the African private sector are women-led or women-owned. The task before us is to ensure that women are not confined to the lower rungs of the ladder in the AfCFTA market."

As Africa’s largest economy and one of the continent’s leading centres for entrepreneurship, innovation and enterprise, Nigeria is well positioned to demonstrate how trade, investment and innovation can work together to drive industrialization, create jobs and advance sustainable development across the continent.

"The success of the AfCFTA ultimately depends on whether it delivers benefits to all engaged economic actors," said H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General, AfCFTA Secretariat. "We cannot afford to leave more than half of our population behind. We cannot afford to waste the talent, energy and enterprise of our women and youth."

The HerAfCFTA Regional Conference reflects UNDP's broader commitment to connecting markets, innovation, investment and partnerships to accelerate Africa's economic transformation. By bringing together governments, businesses, investors and development partners, the Conference seeks to ensure that the opportunities created by AfCFTA translate into tangible outcomes: stronger enterprises, quality jobs, resilient value chains and inclusive prosperity for women and communities across the continent.

The Conference brought together Ministers of Trade from across the continent, alongside senior Nigerian government officials, women entrepreneurs, development finance institutions, private sector leaders, investors and regional organizations. Discussions focused on strengthening women's participation in regional value chains, expanding access to finance and markets, enhancing export competitiveness and fostering strategic partnerships that enable women-owned enterprises to scale across Africa.

The Conference built on HerAfCFTA, UNDP's flagship continental initiative launched in 2023 to advance women's economic empowerment through trade, investment and enterprise development. The initiative supports women-led businesses by strengthening export readiness, facilitating market access, connecting entrepreneurs to finance and investment and creating an enabling ecosystem for inclusive trade.

For more information and media enquiries, please contact:

• Ugochukwu Kingsley Ahuchaogu, Regional Communications and External Engagement Specialist, Regional Programme for Africa, UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa | ugochukwu.kingsley@undp.org
• Christabel Chanda-Ginsberg, Public Engagement, Outreach and Partnerships Unit, UNDP Nigeria | christabel.chanda-ginsberg@undp.org

Notes for the Editors:

About HerAfCFTA

HerAfCFTA is an initiative stemming from UNDP's renewed strategic focus on Africa, leveraging intra-African trade as a key mechanism for poverty reduction, job creation and increased foreign exchange earnings. Launched by the UNDP Regional Director for Africa at the inaugural AfCFTA Business Forum in 2023, HerAfCFTA underscores the importance of collective effort and calls on all development actors to invest consistently in supercharging export readiness. For women entrepreneurs in Nigeria, this framework presents several opportunities that could transform their business prospects.

About UNDP

UNDP Africa supports 46 countries in accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, expediting structural economic transformation for sustainable development, building resilience to shocks and promoting sound governance, peace and security throughout the continent. Guided by the principle that Africa is not homogeneous, UNDP's Renewed Strategic Offer in Africa is a premier ENABLER and INTEGRATOR for the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the African Union's Agenda 2063.

For more information, visit: https://www.undp.org/africa

In Nigeria, UNDP has been supporting the Government and people of Nigeria in addressing development challenges through strengthening and building institutions that promote inclusive, sustainable development and democratic governance. UNDP collaborates with multisectoral stakeholders to support Nigeria in meeting its Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promise.

For more information, visit: https://www.undp.org/nigeria

About the AfCFTA Secretariat

The AfCFTA is the world's largest free trade area, bringing together the 55 countries of the African Union (AU) and eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs). The overall mandate of the AfCFTA is to create a single continental market with a population of about 1.4 billion people and a combined GDP of approximately US$3.4 trillion. The AfCFTA is one of the flagship projects of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, the African Union's long-term development strategy for transforming the continent into a global powerhouse.

As part of its mandate, the AfCFTA is to eliminate trade barriers and boost intra-African trade, in particular by advancing trade in value-added production across all service sectors of the African economy. The AfCFTA will contribute to establishing regional value chains, enabling investment and job creation, and has the potential to foster industrialization and enhance the competitiveness of Africa in the medium to long term.

The AfCFTA entered into force on 30 May 2019, after 24 Member States deposited their instruments of ratification, following a series of continuous continental engagements since 2012. It was launched at the 12th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Niamey, Niger, in July 2019. Trading under the AfCFTA commenced on 1 January 2021. The AfCFTA Secretariat is hosted in Accra, Ghana. His Excellency Wamkele Mene is the first elected Secretary-General coordinating the implementation of the Agreement.

For more information, visit: https://au-afcfta.org

About FMITI

The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) is focused on strengthening Nigeria's economy by driving industrial growth, facilitating trade and attracting investment. The Ministry collaborates across sectors to support local businesses, enhance industrial capacity and integrate Nigeria into global markets. Its goal is to create a sustainable and inclusive economy through strategic policies, impactful initiatives and productive partnerships.

For more information, visit: https://fmiti.gov.ng