African SMEs are set to receive support aimed at helping them overcome barriers to cross-border trade through a new partnership between the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), DHL, Standard Bank and MTN.
Source: Supplied | From left to right: Emmanuel Forson, Group General Manager: Value Proposition and Segments, MTN Group; Hennie Heymans, CEO, DHL Express SSA; Willem van der Spuy, Acting Deputy Director-General: Export Development and Support; Simone Cooper, Head of Business and Commercial Banking, Standard Bank
The collaboration, launched under DHL's GoTrade programme, brings together government, financial services, telecommunications and logistics expertise to help businesses improve export readiness, access finance, adopt digital tools and connect with new markets.
Support for cross-border trade
The partnership between the dtic and DHL will focus on trade education, capacity-building programmes, business clinics, trade missions, corridor activation initiatives and greater awareness of trade frameworks, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and other agreements that create opportunities for African businesses.
The collaboration supports the dtic's broader objectives around industrialisation, export growth and emerging exporter development.
Acting deputy director-general Willem van der Spuy said the partnership demonstrates the role that collaboration can play in strengthening trade and economic development.
“This partnership between the dtic and DHL demonstrates the power of collaboration in advancing trade and economic development,” said van der Spuy.
“By working together with private-sector partners, we can provide businesses with practical support that enhances competitiveness, drives export participation and enables more emerging exporters (especially SMEs) to benefit from regional and global trade opportunities.
"Government's role is to convene the right partners around a common framework, and this initiative reflects exactly that: the dtic setting the direction, with DHL and its partners Standard Bank and MTN strengthening delivery on the ground.”
Finance and export readiness
Standard Bank will bring its pan-African footprint, trade-finance expertise and cross-border trade ecosystem to the partnership.
The bank will support SMEs seeking to enter new markets through finance, advisory support and access to trade networks. This includes its Export Readiness Programme, which provides entrepreneurs with knowledge, advisory support and practical tools for international trade.
The programme was launched in KwaZulu-Natal in 2025 and has since expanded to Gauteng and the Western Cape.
Standard Bank's partnership with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) also provides business matchmaking, trade linkages and market-access opportunities between African and Chinese businesses.
In 2025, the bank connected clients from four African markets with Chinese importers across products including rooibos tea, coffee, cocoa, nuts and wine.
Bill Blackie, chief executive of business and commercial banking at Standard Bank Group, said finance needs to be combined with market access and trade expertise.
“Access to finance alone is not enough. SMEs also need access to buyers, markets, trade knowledge and trusted networks. Through our Export Readiness Programme, our international partnerships and our collaboration with DHL, Standard Bank is helping African businesses build the practical capabilities and connections they need to trade beyond their domestic markets.
"This partnership strengthens our ability to support SMEs across key trade corridors, including within Africa, and to help them grow with greater confidence,” said Blackie.
Digital support for SMEs
MTN will support SMEs with digital skills training, connectivity and cloud solutions designed to help businesses securely store data, collaborate, work remotely and scale their operations.
The partnership will also provide digital payment capabilities, online marketing support, mentorship opportunities and guidance on expanding into new markets through exporting.
“Digital transformation is a critical enabler of business growth and competitiveness,” said David Behr, MTN Group chief enterprise business officer. “By combining MTN's reach and digital capabilities with DHL's international trade expertise, we can help SMEs embrace technology, improve business performance and access new opportunities across Africa and beyond.”
DHL's GoTrade programme
The initiatives form part of DHL's GoTrade programme, which has been launched in more than 50 countries since 2021 and has supported more than 24,000 SMEs globally, including more than 8,000 women-owned businesses.
Across sub-Saharan Africa, more than 8,000 SMEs have participated in GoTrade programmes and capacity-building initiatives.
DHL has also committed to investing €300m on the African continent by 2030, with the company saying it will continue investing in programmes aimed at extending participation in trade and supporting sustainable growth.
Hennie Heymans, CEO of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, said SMEs remain a significant part of the continent's economy but face barriers to participating in international trade.
“Across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), SMEs represent more than 90% of businesses and provide approximately 70% of employment, making them one of the continent's most important engines of economic opportunity and inclusive growth.
"Despite their significance, many of our entrepreneurs continue to face barriers related to financing, digital adoption, trade knowledge and market access, limiting their ability to participate fully in regional and global trade.
“We are excited to work with our partners to create a collaborative ecosystem aimed at addressing these challenges through practical interventions that support businesses at every stage of their export journey,” said Heymans.
The partners said the initiatives aim to create a stronger pipeline of export-ready businesses able to compete in increasingly interconnected markets, with the broader objective of supporting entrepreneurship, job creation and economic inclusion across African markets.
Heymans added: “African SMEs have the ambition and innovation needed to compete globally, but they cannot do it alone. Success in international trade requires access to the right combination of knowledge, finance, technology, policy support and logistics capability.
"By bringing together the strengths of the public and private sectors, we are creating an ecosystem that will help more businesses become export-ready, connect to international markets and contribute meaningfully to Africa's economic growth agenda.
"Our ambition is not only to help SMEs trade more, but to help them grow sustainably, create jobs and unlock new opportunities across the continent.”
