African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has announced its collaborative effort with the Grand Africa Initiative (GAIN) through a grant aimed at facilitating the training of 300 young African entrepreneurs this month.
A news report from APO Group indicated that the six-week training programme would focus on entrepreneurship and intra-African trade.
The GAIN-Afreximbank Masterclass on Entrepreneurship and Intra-African Trade has been meticulously designed to equip young African entrepreneurs from various regions of the African continent with essential skills to foster the growth and expansion of their enterprises beyond their individual national borders.
According to the partners, through the training programme participants will gain valuable insights into how to build and expand their businesses leveraging the intra-African market as well as receive technical guidance, practical training, and business advisory from a faculty of international experts.
Moreover, this programme 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.
The partners advised interested individuals to submit their applications through the official programme website and that prospective entrepreneurs would be selected from across Africa.
They listed the qualification criteria as including that the applicant must be between age 20 to 45 years old, be a registered business entity, be of African descent, have a business in Africa that has been in operation for a minimum of two years, have access to a stable internet connection and electricity, and have a good knowledge of English Language
Speaking on the capacity building initiatve, Director, AU/AfCFTA Relations and Trade Policy, Afreximbank, Yusuf Daya, emphasized the crucial importance of capacitating young African entrepreneurs to take full advantages of the opportunities availed by the AfCFTA.
He said: “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”.
In his remarks, the Partnership Lead at GAIN, Jerry Ojima Momoh, expressed enthusiasm about the programme, pointing out that the March 2024 edition marks the fifth edition of GAIN Entrepreneurship masterclass series designed to empower African youths.
He expatiated: “We have two series so far focused on training women and three series now open to both male 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”, the GAIN boss added.
