Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has expressed concern about the limited participation of women and young people in cross-border trade across Africa, despite their growing influence in innovation and entrepreneurship.

She noted that fewer than 20 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises are involved in export activities, attributing the low participation to long-standing challenges such as restricted access to finance, limited market linkages and structural barriers within regional trading systems.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang made the remarks at the opening session of the African Prosperity Dialogues 2026 on Wednesday, February 4, where she stressed the need for targeted policies to enable women and youth to fully tap into opportunities in regional and global markets.

According to her, young people make up more than 60 per cent of Africa’s population and are increasingly leading innovation in areas such as financial technology and the creative industries, yet this dynamism is not translating into meaningful participation in cross-border commerce.

She cautioned that, without deliberate investment in skills development, access to capital, and institutional support, many African economies risk remaining locked in low-productivity models that rely on raw material exports while finished goods are imported and talented young Africans seek opportunities abroad.