By Boris Esono Nwenfor
Deliberations at the Trade + Sustainability Hub 2026, held on the sidelines of the WTO Ministerial Conference MC14 in Yaoundé, brought renewed focus to the central role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in advancing Africa’s trade ambitions under the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA.
A key session titled “Unlocking SME Capacity to Accelerate AfCFTA Development Gains” gathered policymakers, entrepreneurs and development partners to examine how SMEs can better contribute to, and benefit from, the continent’s flagship trade agreement.
The session was convened by the Cameroon Economic Policy Institute, CEPI, in partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development, bringing together experts, including Bama Cham of the Cameroon National Shippers Council, business leader Jacqueline Tiencheu of GIG Afatex International, CEPI’s Henri Kouam, and Emmanuel Agbor of the British High Commission.
Participants painted a mixed picture of SME participation in regional trade. While SMEs represent nearly 70 per cent of economic activity in Cameroon, their dominance in the informal sector limits their ability to access finance, structured markets, and reliable trade information, factors essential for competing within the AfCFTA framework.
Speakers stressed that without deliberate efforts to formalise and support SMEs, the broader goals of the AfCFTA, boosting intra-African trade and fostering inclusive growth, may remain out of reach.
A major point of discussion was the disconnect between policy frameworks and grassroots realities. Participants questioned whether existing trade policies adequately reach rural producers and smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of many supply chains.
Responding to these concerns, Bama Cham outlined how the AfCFTA ecosystem functions in practice, particularly in agriculture. He explained that trade often operates through a layered structure where small producers supply larger exporters, who then access regional and global markets.
Using Cameroon’s cocoa sector as an example, Cham noted that although only a handful of exporters operate internationally, they depend heavily on thousands of smallholder farmers. This aggregation model, he said, ensures efficiency and competitiveness, as individual farmers would struggle to meet export volumes or absorb high logistics costs.
Beyond structural insights, the session also explored tools designed to ease trade under the AfCFTA. Among them is a business certification mechanism aimed at simplifying product identification and facilitating smoother cross-border transactions. Stakeholders believe such innovations could help reduce delays and build trust among trading partners.
However, discussions did not shy away from persistent bottlenecks. Participants cited informal taxes along trade routes, weak infrastructure, and the dominance of intermediaries as major impediments to SME growth. These challenges, they argued, disproportionately affect small-scale producers who already operate on thin margins.
One recurring concern was the lack of transparency in pricing. Many rural producers, participants noted, rely on middlemen who dictate prices without providing clear market information. This imbalance often leaves producers with limited bargaining power and reduced earnings.
The session highlighted that addressing such inefficiencies will require not only policy reforms but also practical interventions, such as improved access to market data, capacity-building initiatives, and stronger institutional support.
Experts agreed that inclusive dialogue must remain at the heart of AfCFTA implementation. Ensuring that SMEs, particularly those in remote and underserved areas, understand and can access trade opportunities is essential for the agreement’s success.
Organisers, including CEPI, acknowledged the support of IISD and the Atlas Network in facilitating the session, which brought together voices from across the trade ecosystem. They emphasised that continued collaboration between governments, private sector actors and development partners will be crucial to unlocking SME potential.
