Following Togo’s decision to scrap visa requirements for all African travellers, the AfCFTA Council of Ministers has announced a new flagship initiative to help 30 high-potential African startups scale beyond the continent, with Nigerian entrepreneurs urged to lead the charge.
The AfCFTA Startup Acceleration Programme 2026, unveiled on the sidelines of Biashara Afrika 2026 in Lomé, is a partnership between the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Korea Africa Foundation.
The initiative will support startups in fintech, e-commerce, logistics, agritech, manufacturing, and digital platforms to strengthen their business models and access global markets, particularly South Korea.
The announcement was made by Jumoke Oduwole, Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, who serves as the incoming Chair of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers.
It follows her widely reported address at the Lomé forum, where she publicly challenged African leaders to confront real barriers to intra-African trade, including the refusal of Togolese immigration officials to admit two ECOWAS investors on their national passports just hours before her speech.
Within 24 hours, Togo’s government removed visa requirements for all African passport holders for stays of up to 30 days. Oduwole has now formally commended.
“His Excellency President Faure Gnassingbé and the Government of Togo have taken decisive action that advances the spirit and objectives of the AfCFTA Agreement and reinforces Africa’s commitment to becoming a truly integrated market of over 1.4 billion people,” she said.
But the Minister made clear that policy victories alone will not deliver the continent’s economic transformation.
“The future of the AfCFTA will not be built by policy alone. It will be driven by enterprises, innovators, manufacturers, digital platforms, and entrepreneurs who are ready to trade,” she stated.
The Startup Acceleration Programme 2026 is designed to move beyond rhetoric. Selected startups will receive targeted support to scale across borders and position themselves for international expansion with Korea as the initial gateway market.
Nigerian startups are particularly encouraged to apply. As Co-Champion of Digital Trade under the AfCFTA, Oduwole has made it a priority that Nigeria’s famously vibrant tech and digital ecosystem does not sit out the next phase of African integration.
“Africa has negotiated, signed, and agreed. Now, Africa must trade,” she declared.
The timing is deliberate. With Togo’s visa-free policy now in effect, removing a physical barrier that the Minister herself had highlighted from the podium, the spotlight shifts to the private sector.
The message is clear: governments are clearing the path, but businesses must now run on it.
Applications for the AfCFTA Startup Acceleration Programme 2026 close on 24 May 2026, just four days from now. Interested Nigerian startups are directed to submit their applications via [email protected]
“This programme presents a valuable opportunity for Nigerian startups to strengthen their business models, expand internationally, and position themselves for cross-border growth,” they added.
As the AfCFTA Council of Ministers prepares for its next meeting in Abuja in late June 2026, the twin announcements, Togo’s visa abolition and the startup acceleration programme, mark a clear shift from aspirational agreements to tangible action. The question now is whether Africa’s entrepreneurs will answer the call.
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