In response to Africa’s persistent youth unemployment and underemployment—despite the continent’s significant demographic advantage—the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with Southern Africa Youth Forum (SAYoF), will convene a Pre-ADIF Forum Virtual Webinar today. The session is designed to advance practical solutions on how youth-led SMEs and startups can access and compete in regional value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
AfCFTA offers a major opportunity for Africa’s economic transformation; by reducing tariffs, harmonising trade rules, and strengthening intra-African trade, it has the potential to expand markets and stimulate investment across borders. However, the ability of young entrepreneurs to benefit from these opportunities remains constrained by structural challenges such as limited industrial capacity, skills mismatches, fragmented markets, weak access to finance, and inadequate trade facilitation support.
The webinar will therefore examine the barriers and opportunities that shape youth participation in regional value chains. It will also spotlight successful examples of African youth enterprises that have scaled through regional trade integration, particularly in labour-intensive and emerging sectors such as agro-processing, manufacturing, renewable energy, and logistics. These insights will help clarify what works in practice and how promising models can be replicated at scale.
In addition, the session will explore policy, institutional, financial, and technological interventions needed to enable youth enterprise growth under AfCFTA. This includes targeted financing approaches, support for innovation and digitalization, and partnership ecosystems that connect young entrepreneurs to suppliers, buyers, and other enablers across borders.
The discussion will also consider the importance of regional strategies and instruments that strengthen youth-led enterprise participation. Particular attention will be given to the SADC SMEs Development and Competitive Strategy, in promoting youth innovation and supporting trade and industrial development, and the AfCFTA Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade, which reinforces the need for inclusive participation in trade opportunities.
Aligned with ADIF’s goal of moving from discussion to action, the webinar will feed into the broader effort to develop a concrete action roadmap for implementation, follow-up, and scale-up, leading toward meaningful employment and enterprise outcomes for African youth.
