A high-profile consortium featuring South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), Standard Bank, MTN, and DHL has launched a collaborative ecosystem to help Sub-Saharan African SMEs overcome structural barriers to regional and international trade.
The initiative falls under the umbrella of DHL’s GoTrade programme and supports DHL’s broader €300 million investment commitment across the African continent by 2030.
Stakeholder Roles & Core Initiatives
The partnership merges public sector policy with financial, technological, and logistical infrastructure to address four primary SME friction points: financing, digital adoption, export readiness, and market access.
| Partner | Sector / Focus Area | Strategic Contributions & Key Deliverables |
| DHL | Logistics & Global Supply Chain |
• Anchor platform via the GoTrade initiative. • Logistics capacity building, corridor activation, and cross-border fulfillment. • Commitments drawn from its €300 million continental investment framework. |
| the dtic | Public Policy & Trade Regulation |
• Policy alignment, trade education, business clinics, and foreign trade missions. • Driving uptake and awareness of key trade frameworks, notably the AfCFTA. |
| Standard Bank | Trade Finance & Market Linkages |
• Advisory services, trade finance, and expansion of its Export Readiness Programme. • Facilitating Africa-China trade linkages through its strategic partnership with ICBC. • Cross-border banking infrastructure and payment settlement support. |
| MTN | Telecoms & Digital Infrastructure |
• Provision of cloud storage, remote team collaboration tools, and enterprise connectivity. • Digital skills training, online marketing support, and digital payment gateway integration. |
Despite their dominance in the domestic economy, African SMEs face persistent growth ceilings due to fragmented trade infrastructure, high logistics costs, and strict capital requirements.
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GoTrade Impact Baseline: Since its 2021 rollout, GoTrade has reached over 50 countries and 24,000 SMEs globally. Within Sub-Saharan Africa alone, over 8,000 SMEs have participated in capacity-building programs to date.
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AfCFTA Acceleration: The partnership focuses heavily on practical execution—enabling small businesses to utilize regional trade corridors and leverage preferential tariff structures under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
