GAIN empowers young entrepreneurs to boost young entrepreneurs in cross border trade

GTAND Africa Initiative(GAIN) in collaboration with Africa Export-Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), has trained young African entrepreneurs from across Africa as part of the Africa Export-Import Bank’s effort to increase participation of African young entrepreneurs in cross border trade and expand trading activity under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

The program, GAIN-AFREXIMBANK Masterclass on Entrepreneurship and Intra-Africa Trade is an empowerment program will help in the actualization of the objectives AfCTA which is pivotal to the continent’s economic transformation.

The Executive Director, GAIN, Chinwe Okoli, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, said that the initiative was geared towards training, empowering, and providing technical support to African young men and women by equipping them with digital, leadership, employability, and entrepreneurial skills for self-sustenance.

She said the program was designed to, among others, equip young African entrepreneurs who were selected from across Africa with skills to build and scale their businesses across borders; learn key insights that will help them identify opportunities in various African Markets, and expand their businesses

According to her, the program, which kicked off August 8th, 2022, received applications from 1,376 young African entrepreneurs from 29 African countries across the five regions in Africa out of which two hundred 200 were selected.

Okoli explained that the training was 3-month program that had intensive live masterclass facilitated by global experts and leaders in various aspects of business who brought to class experience and mastery adding that the participants learned from facilitators from Africa, America, and Europe who covered fifteen(15) broad topics, which was followed by mentorship and business advisory sessions with experienced mentors and experts in various business sectors”,

She said, “The program kicked off on the August 8th, 2022 with a virtual opening ceremony which had the Executive Director Grand Africa Initiative-GAIN, Ms. Chinwe Okoli; the Senior Manager, AU/AFCFTA Relations and Trade Policy, African Export-Import Bank Mr Babajide Sodipo and the Keynote Speaker His Excellency Thami Mseleku, the High Commissioner of South Africa to Nigeria, selected participants and members of the public in attendance”.

Another participant and the CEO Rowdach Enterprise, Malawi, Robert Chikuse, said: “Before I joined this program, my ideas were not structured and I was blind to the possibilities out there and how I could benefit from ACFTA. This program has introduced the idea of networking and the importance of having a clearly defined strategy and branding.”