Afreximbank Extends Grant to Grand Africa Initiative to Empower African Youth Entrepreneurs

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has announced a collaboration with the Grand Africa Initiative (GAIN) through a grant to support the training of 300 young African entrepreneurs. The training programme, which begins in March 2024, will focus on entrepreneurship and intra-African trade.

The GAIN-Afreximbank Masterclass on Entrepreneurship and Intra-African Trade was carefully organised to provide young African entrepreneurs from various regions of the African continent with the necessary skills to foster the growth and expansion of their businesses beyond their respective national borders. During a comprehensive six-week programme, participants will learn how to grow and expand their businesses by exploiting the intra-African market. Participants will receive technical guidance, practical training, and business advisory from a faculty of international experts.

Moreover, this program aims to enhance inclusivity in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by offering interventions that specifically support young Africans, women, and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Interested individuals are encouraged to submit their applications through the official program website at www.GrandAfrica.org. Prospective entrepreneurs will be selected from across Africa and are required to meet the following criteria:

• Must be between ages 20 to 45 years old
• Must be a registered business entity.
• Must be of African descent
• Must have a business in Africa
• Must have a business that has been in operation for a minimum of two years.
• Must have access to a stable internet connection and electricity.
• Have a good knowledge of English Language

Yusuf Daya, Director, AU/AfCFTA Relations and Trade Policy, Afreximbank emphasized the crucial importance of capacitating young African entrepreneurs to take full advantage of the opportunities availed by the AfCFTA. “Our renewed support to the GAIN Masterclass underscores the Bank’s efforts to develop skills of African youth and build African entrepreneurial capacity under the Afreximbank Academy (AFRACAD). We look forward to an even more successful program in 2024 following the highly impactful masterclass in 2022 which helped build the capacity of 200 entrepreneurs from across the continent”.

Jerry Ojima Momoh, the Partnership Lead at GAIN, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "This marks the fifth edition of the GAIN Entrepreneurship masterclass series designed to empower African youths. We have two series so far focused on training women and three series now open to both males and female. We are happy to have this partnership with Afreximbank again this year to provide invaluable entrepreneurial support to young entrepreneurs. In 2022, we trained participants from 29 countries across Africa. Beyond the training, participants will gain in-depth knowledge, build connections, and access mentorship from experienced global mentors, all of which will have a successful impact on their business growth."