Small and medium-sized enterprises remain the continent’s economic engine, generating more than 60 percent of jobs. Women-led SMEs account for nearly one-quarter of new business registrations, a quiet shift with broad implications for leadership. Creative-sector SMEs, from design to digital, now contribute an estimated six percent of GDP in several key markets.
Yet the SME credit gap persists, estimated at over $330 billion, a latent growth lever still to be unlocked.

Top 3 SME Growth Drivers:

Digital access
Expanding consumer demand
Intra-regional trade corridors
Intra-Africa Trade & Tech

Digital technology is redrawing Africa’s trade map, and SMEs are at the forefront.

Pan-African payments platforms are growing at double-digit rates, bridging markets from Lagos to Nairobi. Cross-border e-commerce corridors are forming, enabled by regional fintech and logistics innovation. New trade finance products, digital-first and SME-friendly, are unlocking access to capital that previously stalled cross-border trade.