If you’re a small business owner, maybe you’re selling amazing shea butter in Lagos, or handcrafted leather bags in Nairobi; what’s your biggest dream? It’s to grow. To sell more.
And what’s the most significant, newest, most game-changing market that has ever existed for an African entrepreneur? It’s the AfCFTA, the African Continental Free Trade Area. This is the “big idea” that’s supposed to turn all 55 countries into one giant, single market. Imagine… your customer base isn’t just your city. It’s not just Nigeria. It’s 1.3 billion people.
That’s the dream. But here’s the reality: How on earth does that shea butter seller in Lagos actually sell to someone in Kigali or Cairo?
- How do they handle payments?
- How do they figure out logistics?
- How do they even find those customers?
- And how do they compete when they’re still running their business on WhatsApp and a spreadsheet?
This is the gap. It’s a massive, terrifying gap between a brilliant policy (AfCFTA) and the people it’s supposed to help (the small business owner). This is where the new programme comes in.
It’s a partnership between the AfCFTA Secretariat (the official “government” side) and Google (the tech giant). And they’re not just throwing money at the problem. They’re throwing a particular, very proven playbook at it.
If you haven’t heard of the Google Hustle Academy, you’re going to. Since 2022, it’s been this free, virtual bootcamp for small business owners across Africa. It’s not a boring “sit-and-listen” lecture. It’s a 5-day, hands-on, practical deep dive.
The “normal” Hustle Academy was already a huge success, training over 18,000 entrepreneurs. They teach you:
- How to build a real digital marketing plan.
- How to actually get funding.
- How to create a solid strategy for growth.
But this new partnership with AfCFTA is like Hustle Academy 2.0. It’s taking that proven model and adding rocket fuel.
What’s New? The “AfCFTA Edition”
This new “AfCFTA Digital Inclusion & Entrepreneurship Programme” is targeting 7,500 small businesses and giving them a free, upgraded curriculum. They’re adding three crucial new modules that directly attack that “But How?” problem:
- Cross-Border Digital Trade: This is the big one. It’s co-created with the AfCFTA Secretariat itself. It’s literally the “how-to” guide for turning the AfCFTA policy into practice. How to find new markets, adapt your product, and handle cross-border payments and shipping.
- AI for Productivity: This isn’t just a buzzword. This is practical stuff. How to use AI tools, like Google Gemini, to automate your tasks, write your marketing emails, and analyse customer data so you’re not guessing anymore.
- Cloud for Small Businesses: This is about moving off of that spreadsheet. It’s hands-on training with Google Workspace (for teamwork) and Google Cloud (for secure operations) to make your small hustle run like a professional company.
So, you’re not just getting a certificate. You’re getting the exact digital toolkit you need to stop being a local champion and start thinking like a continental exporter.
How to Apply (The Important Part)
Okay, so how do you get in? The programme is free, but it’s for established businesses. Here’s what they’re looking for:
- Who? Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
- Where? You must be based in an AfCFTA member state. (Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon, Rwanda, and many others are on the list).
- How long? Your business needs to have been in operation for at least six months. This isn’t for brand-new ideas; it’s for businesses ready to scale.
The training itself starts this month (November 2025) and will run in 25 different cohorts all the way through June 2026.
The application is done through the official Google Hustle Academy portal. You need to go to rsvp.withgoogle.com/events/hustle-academy_inpartnershipwithafcfta. You sign up, and you’re in the running.
This is the first real, practical bridge between that big, beautiful idea of a “United States of African Trade” and the person on the ground just trying to make their hustle work. And for 7,500 entrepreneurs, it’s going to be a game-changer.
To get a feel for the kind of advice shared in these programmes, check out this speaker series from the Hustle Academy featuring entrepreneur Patricia Okelo. It gives you a great sense of the real-world, practical lessons you can expect.
