WCCI, GIEPA Host Trade Partnerships Without Borders Conference, Banjul The Gambia 8th -10th October 2025.
By Raymond Enoch
In an ambitious move to reshape Africa’s economic landscape through inclusive entrepreneurship, the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI) Emerging Market Hub, in partnership with The Gambia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (GIEPA), is set to host the “Trade Partnerships Without Borders” Conference from October 8th to 10th, 2025 in Banjul, The Gambia. The high-level summit will bring together influential women entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, trade officials, and private sector leaders from across West, North, and Southern Africa to strengthen intra-African economic integration and lay a roadmap for achieving the continent’s 2030 Sustainable Development Vision.
Set against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving global economy, the conference recognizes the vital role women entrepreneurs play in innovation, job creation, and economic transformation—while confronting persistent barriers in accessing trade, finance, and global partnerships. The initiative aims to close this gap by leveraging strategic bilateral relations and the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to empower African women as catalysts for inclusive and sustainable growth.
WCCI’s Emerging Market Hub (Nigeria) and its co-organizers—GIEPA (The Gambia), Skills for Africa (Tunisia), and the Mozambique-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce—are spearheading this initiative to foster dynamic trade and investment collaboration between female-led enterprises across the continent. The summit will provide an inclusive platform to facilitate policy dialogue, showcase innovation, and enable access to cross-border markets through curated sessions, exhibitions, and high-level stakeholder engagement.
Themed “Trade Partnerships Without Borders,” the summit will seek to establish an entrepreneur-centered ecosystem that supports cross-sectoral growth, particularly in industry, tourism, agriculture, energy, and trade. Among the core objectives are promoting bilateral investment among West, North, and Southern African nations; creating an enabling environment for policy reform and institutional collaboration; and facilitating direct linkages between investors and women-led businesses through business-to-business (B2B) matchmaking and curated networking platforms.
Attendees can expect an engaging program featuring high-impact trade exhibitions, B2B matchmaking sessions, and policy dialogue roundtables. The curated Trade Exhibition Pavilion will spotlight innovative products, services, and technologies from women entrepreneurs across sectors such as agribusiness, cosmetics, fashion, green energy, and technology. Meanwhile, facilitated B2B sessions will provide actionable investment and partnership opportunities, while roundtables will drive policy conversations on inclusive finance, trade facilitation, and capacity building.
Organizers are optimistic that the summit will yield tangible results, including increased trade linkages between participating countries, greater visibility and market access for women-owned businesses, and the formation of new cross-border business alliances. In addition, the conference is expected to produce actionable policy recommendations and strengthen diplomatic and economic ties through people-driven initiatives.
WCCI Emerging Market Hub, the driving force behind the event, is a specialized initiative designed to connect women-led enterprises to emerging markets via trade intelligence, export readiness programs, and cross-border partnerships. Its mission aligns with a Pan-African vision of sustainable economic empowerment for women and policy advocacy to support inclusive development.
GIEPA, The Gambia’s national trade and investment promotion agency, will play a central role in showcasing the country’s emerging investment potential. With a focus on supporting businesses across sectors like agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, and digital services, GIEPA continues to drive The Gambia’s ambition to become a regional hub for sustainable investment.
Co-organizer Skills for Africa, headquartered in Tunisia, brings to the table a wealth of expertise in youth and women empowerment through technology-driven entrepreneurship and vocational training. Their presence underscores the conference’s emphasis on harnessing Africa’s demographic dividend through skill development and sustainable innovation.
Equally instrumental is the Mozambique-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce (CAMOZINI), a nonprofit body dedicated to deepening trade and investment ties between Nigeria and Mozambique. With a focus on intra-African trade and human capital development, CAMOZINI serves as a strategic bridge for business cooperation, exchange programs, and skills acquisition between the two countries.
As Africa looks to unlock the full potential of its internal markets, the “Trade Partnerships Without Borders” Conference represents more than a networking event—it is a critical juncture in redefining how women participate in and shape Africa’s economic future. It also reaffirms the continent’s growing commitment to gender-responsive trade frameworks, people-centered diplomacy, and the strategic implementation of AfCFTA.
With West Africa’s growing market of over 400 million people, North Africa’s leadership in innovation and industry, and Southern Africa’s rising influence in green energy and agriculture, the conference is poised to create new value chains and disrupt outdated narratives of African trade. And as The Gambia emerges as a peaceful and promising business destination with increasing investments in tourism, agriculture, energy, and infrastructure, Banjul offers a symbolic and strategic venue to host this historic convening.
By building inclusive trade partnerships without borders, Africa is not only reimagining its development trajectory—but empowering its women to lead the way.
