Bridging the Gap: How Google and AfCFTA Team Up to Drive Digital Skills for African Entrepreneurs

Kenya November, 18 2025 – The vision of a truly borderless African market, once an ambitious political dream, is now being supercharged by a powerful alliance between global technology giant Google and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.

This isn't just another skills program; it’s a strategic, future-proofing initiative. Named the AfCFTA Digital Inclusion and Entrepreneurship Program, its central mission is to take 7,500 of Africa’s rising small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and arm them with the crucial digital weaponry, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced digital trade skills, necessary to conquer continental expansion.

The Problem and the Partnership

For years, African entrepreneurs have been celebrated for their hustle, but many have remained confined by a digital skills gap. The AfCFTA promises a market of 1.4 billion people, yet navigating cross-border e-commerce, logistics, and data management can be a dizzying prospect for a small business operating on a smartphone and grit.

The partnership leverages the proven track record of the Google Hustle Academy, which has already trained over 18,000 SMEs since 2022. This new iteration is specifically tailored to the AfCFTA environment, providing localized training and AI-driven solutions that respond directly to the continent’s dynamic trade demands.

AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene underscored the profound impact this partnership is expected to have beyond mere trade numbers. He framed the initiative as a fulfillment of the body’s mandate under the Protocols on Digital Trade and on Women and Youth in Trade, explicitly aiming to uplift traditionally marginalized groups.

“This initiative is key to positioning MSMEs, women, youth, persons with disabilities, and rural farmers as the primary beneficiaries and drivers of the AfCFTA framework,” Mene stated. “It is a clear demonstration of our commitment to fostering digital inclusion and enabling them to trade across the continent using digital technologies.”