Ecobank expands SME access to continental markets through its Single Market Trade Hub, listing products and linking businesses under AfCFTA.
Ecobank Drives SME Inclusion in Pan-African Trade
Ecobank has connected 1,200 Cameroonian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to its Single Market Trade Hub, a digital platform designed to help businesses engage in intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This initiative aims to give local firms broader visibility and market access across Africa’s single market.
Gwendoline Abunaw, managing director of Ecobank Cameroon and head of the CEMAC cluster, described the platform as a “game changer” for African economic integration.
The bank says it has also listed around 100 local products on the platform, expanding opportunities for Cameroonian goods to reach buyers across the continent.
What the Trade Hub Offers SMEs
The Ecobank Single Market Trade Hub serves as a centralized digital marketplace where registered businesses can publish their profiles and products, helping buyers and sellers discover one another. While the platform supports trade visibility and matchmaking, Ecobank’s broader intent is to assist SMEs to capitalize on AfCFTA opportunities by bridging gaps in information and connectivity across African markets.
By aggregating product listings and business profiles online, SMEs gain a tool to showcase offerings outside their domestic borders — a significant step toward addressing the historical challenge of limited market reach for smaller firms.
Alignment with Continental Trade Goals
The Single Market Trade Hub aligns with continental efforts to deepen economic integration and reduce barriers to trade under the AfCFTA framework. Launched in 2023 by Ecobank as part of its broader pan-African strategy, the platform connects registered businesses across multiple African markets and facilitates online matchmaking between importers and exporters.
Ecobank says participation in Cameroon has grown sharply over the past year, with registered users rising from 219 in 2024 to 1,200 today — a fivefold increase. Across Africa, the bank reports that its Single Market Trade Hub now links 12,000 companies and features 1,300 products.
For Cameroonian SMEs, this initiative offers an entry point into wider value chains and helps build commercial relationships that extend beyond national borders, a key facet of intra-African trade development.
Supporting Growth Beyond Borders
Ecobank’s efforts reflect an increased focus by financial institutions on empowering SMEs to participate in Africa’s integrated market, which is widely regarded as instrumental to economic diversification and job creation. By using its digital infrastructure and pan-African footprint, Ecobank is positioning itself as a facilitator of cross-border trade and investment flows.
The connection of 1,200 SMEs and the listing of local products on the Trade Hub underscore the tangible progress being made to enhance commercial visibility and help African businesses tap into the continent’s unified market opportunities.
For more stories of African trade, visit our dedicated archives.