• The program will empower 7,500 African SMEs with AI and digital trade skills to boost cross-border business growth.
• It aligns with AfCFTA goals to support MSMEs, women, youth, and marginalized groups through localized training.
• It builds on Google Hustle Academy’s success, addressing Africa’s digital skills gap to drive economic inclusion. 

Google and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat have jointly launched the AfCFTA Digital Inclusion & Entrepreneurship Program, a free training initiative aimed at empowering 7,500 African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with critical AI and digital trade skills to expand their businesses across the continent.

The program, announced in a release dated November 17, is powered by the Google Hustle Academy and managed by digital skills provider UpSkill Universe. It will deliver action-oriented training in English, French, Arabic, and Portuguese, focusing on three core modules: Cross-Border Digital Trade, Cloud for Small Businesses, and AI for Productivity.

H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, highlighted the program’s alignment with AfCFTA’s goals to empower MSMEs, women, youth, persons with disabilities, and rural farmers to benefit from digital trade technologies.

The program targets SMEs that have operated for at least six months in selected AfCFTA member states including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, and others. Training begins November 2025 and will run in 25 cohorts through June 2026. Interested businesses can apply through the official programme portal.

This initiative builds on Google Hustle Academy’s success of supporting over 18,000 SMEs across Africa since 2022 and aims to close the digital skills gap, providing entrepreneurs with AI-powered solutions and localized training aligned with today’s market demands, ultimately driving Africa’s inclusive digital economy and continental trade integration.

The program comes at a pivotal time as PwC research indicates that responsible AI adoption across Africa could boost the continent’s GDP by up to 4.9 percentage points by 2035. This growth has significant implications for job creation, as expanding the economy will increase demand for skilled workers, underscoring the urgent need to equip entrepreneurs with AI and digital skills to meet evolving market needs and foster inclusive employment opportunities.

Hikmatu Bilali