The United States Department of Commerce Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), through the Africa Women and Youth Empowerment Group (AWYEG), and in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT), and the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, have developed a Masterclass program for women and youth owned/led Africa businesses, seeking to improve Investment and Export Readiness Under the AfCFTA.

Appended to the AfCFTA Business Forum, the Masterclass on Investment and Export Readiness Under the AfCFTA program invites approximately 55 women and youth owned/led Africa businesses to participate in an extensive program - including a virtual self-study of How to Trade Under the AfCFTA, two virtual half day labs, and a three day in-person workshop, leading into a high-level breakfast dialogue with government officials, businesses, and business incubators. The Masterclass and AfCFTA Business Forum will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Center in Cape Town, South Africa from March 13-19, 2023.

The program seeks to achieve the following:

• An improved understanding of how to leverage the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA Agreement and how to trade under the AfCFTA.
• Enhanced export competitiveness of women and youth owned/led businesses to access Africa and other market opportunities through improved investment and export readiness.
• Strengthened capacity for women and youth-owned/led businesses to engage potential investors and business partners in Africa trade.
• Improved business-to-business linkages in regional, continental, and international value and supply chains, investment/financing deals, and connections with incubators/accelerators.

In addition to the USAID/Prosper Africa supported AWYEG, which seeks to further the goals of the AfCFTA to empower women and youth in Africa trade, other USG agencies and initiatives such as the Department of Commerce’s Women Empowered Leave Legacies through Trade and Investment (WELLTI) program and Commercial Service, State Department’s African Women’s Entrepreneurial Program (AWEP), and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will participate in the Masterclass program.