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- From agribusiness sourcing and investment opportunities to new regional value chains, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is creating new avenues for Swiss-African business engagement.
GENEVA, Switzerland (ITC News) – On 19 June at the Swiss-African Business Day in Geneva, ITC, the AfCFTA Secretariat and Switzerland highlighted how their collaboration is helping businesses turn these opportunities into tangible commercial outcomes.
New opportunities for Swiss-African business partnerships
As the AfCFTA enters full implementation, attention is shifting from policy frameworks to practical business opportunities. For Swiss companies, the AfCFTA Agreement opens access to a more integrated African market, while creating new possibilities for sourcing, investment and long-term commercial partnerships across the continent.
These opportunities were the focus of the session AfCFTA in Action: Unlocking Swiss-African Trade and Investment Opportunities, co-hosted by the International Trade Centre (ITC), the AfCFTA Secretariat, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Swiss-African Business Circle (SABC) during the Swiss-African Business Day in Geneva.
Initial analysis presented during the session highlighted the significant untapped potential in Swiss-African trade. By 2030, African export potential to Switzerland is estimated at nearly $19 billion, of which more than $8 billion remains unrealised, pointing to substantial opportunities for stronger commercial partnerships.
Moving from agreement to action
While the AfCFTA has created the world’s largest free trade area by number of participating countries, businesses need practical support to fully capitalise on the opportunities it creates.
The session marked the first public presentation of the renewed cooperation between ITC, the AfCFTA Secretariat and SECO under One Trade Africa.
‘The AfCFTA opens a continental market and a pathway to international trade for African SMEs. For Swiss companies, it offers an evidence-based entry into one of the world’s most dynamic growth regions for sourcing, investment and long-term partnership,’ said Dorothy Tembo, ITC deputy executive director.
The three partners are supporting practical implementation through market intelligence, private sector engagement, export readiness support, business matchmaking and trade missions designed to strengthen trade and investment linkages between Africa and Switzerland.
The initiative builds on the renewed memorandum of understanding signed between ITC and the AfCFTA Secretariat during Biashara Afrika in Lomé, reaffirming a shared commitment to making the AfCFTA work for the private sector.
Connecting African exporters with Swiss markets
The Geneva session also marked the start of a week-long business mission for five export-ready African agribusinesses.
From speciality foods and agricultural products to value-added processing, the companies are engaging directly with Swiss buyers, investors and the private sector through business meetings and networking activities.
The mission is already generating promising commercial prospects. During meetings with Swiss private-sector actors, participating small businesses received direct feedback on market requirements, sustainability expectations and certification pathways. Several companies were invited to pursue follow-up discussions and product evaluations. The exchanges provided valuable insights into Swiss buyer expectations regarding certifications, sustainability and quality requirements. It also highlighted concrete opportunities for African exporters to strengthen their position in premium international markets.
The mission forms part of a broader package of support so African small businesses can better compete and access international markets. This includes export readiness training, support on packaging and labelling requirements, market intelligence, participation in trade fairs, and business matchmaking.
Agribusiness remains a priority, reflecting both AfCFTA priorities and growing opportunities for Swiss-African collaboration across food and farm systems.
Building on earlier activities in South Africa and Togo, the programme supports African businesses in connecting with regional and international markets while fostering stronger commercial ties with Switzerland.
Up next: Ghana trade mission
Later this year, the project will bring Swiss buyers and potential investors to Ghana to explore market prospects on the ground and connect directly with African businesses.
Through continued collaboration between ITC, the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, the initiative aims to strengthen both intra-African trade and Swiss-African trade and investment linkages. For companies interested in exploring opportunities under the AfCFTA, the message from Geneva was clear: Africa’s single market is open for business, and the time to engage is now.
Meanwhile, at the International Trade Centre’s Joint Advisory Group meeting in Geneva, the second Global SME Ministerial Meeting was announced for 25 – 27 May 2027.
The decision reflects Switzerland’s long-standing engagement with ITC’s Global SME Ministerial process through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO and the country’s decades-long partnership with ITC, as well as Geneva’s role as a centre of international economic governance.
The event is expected to draw more than 1,000 participants, including ministers, heads of delegation, as well as business and institutional leaders.
The inaugural ITC Global SME Ministerial Meeting took place in Johannesburg in July 2025, in partnership with the South African Department of Small Business Development. It created an international political space dedicated to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
That meeting brought together ministers and heads of delegation responsible for SMEs, trade and economy from 60 countries, who endorsed a Global SME Call to Action establishing three key enablers for the sector -access to finance, digital transformation and green transition – mandating ITC as the focal point for information and policy sharing between countries, and agreeing on a roadmap to hold the Ministerial on a biennial basis.
Since Johannesburg, the process has built momentum. The Global SME Digital Knowledge Platform, launched in February 2026, has attracted policy contributions from numerous countries.
Intersessional community meetings now regularly convene more than 120 delegates representing more than 74 countries. The Ministerial has been raised at key political global spaces, such as the G20 South Africa presidency, the East African Community Summit, COP30 and the 2026 WTO Ministerial Conference.
Swiss ambassador Erwin Bollinger, said:
“Switzerland is pleased to host the next SME Ministerial in Geneva in May 2027, which reflects the trust placed in our longstanding partnership with the ITC. The SME Ministerial in Geneva represents an opportunity for Switzerland to advance SME competitiveness and trade-driven development, while reaffirming Geneva’s central role in global trade and multilateralism.”
ITC executive director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said:
“Switzerland as host of our next Global SME Ministerial Meeting will elevate the global conversation on the role of small businesses in trade. Geneva is not only a trade hub where global trade rules are negotiated, translated and delivered on – Switzerland’s leadership on sustainability, innovation and economic resilience will add depth to discussions. We look forward to it.”
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