On March 23, 2026, the public-private dialogue on trade in services under the AfCFTA was chaired by the Minister of SMEs, Social Economy and Handicrafts, Achille BASSILEKIN III .
Public and private stakeholders gathered to strengthen the participation of women and youth in trade in services across Central Africa.
Goal: address challenges such as access to finance, market information, and opportunities, enabling women- and youth-led SMEs to benefit from a market of over one billion consumers.
Key sectors like transport, tourism, and ICT present strong potential for inclusive and sustainable growth.
With support from partners such as ITC, ECCAS, the European Union, and the World Bank, concrete actions are being developed to boost capacity and improve access to finance.
Together, let’s build a more inclusive trade ecosystem in Central Africa!