Afretrade has launched a digital platform built to connect employers with verified talent, expand trade opportunities, strengthen skills, and open global access for Africans seeking economic advancement. The company stated that the platform is designed to empower 100 million new businesses within five years by creating a trusted system for skills, services, and cross-border trade across Africa and the diaspora.
During the launch in Lagos, the firm explained that the platform verifies users, showcases their expertise, and gives them visibility before global clients. It focuses on talent, trade, and training, with an emphasis on helping artisans, freelancers, and service providers upgrade their skills to international standards while gaining access to wider markets. The management highlighted that diaspora clients can now book verified Nigerian service providers directly on the platform, eliminating the uncertainties associated with unverified social media pages.
On trade, the company stated that many African products get rejected abroad due to poor compliance with international regulations. It said the platform will guide businesses on global standards, improve product acceptance, and help them enter new markets with fewer barriers.
The company also disclosed that its youth training programme equips young people with practical skills while offering stipends. The first cohort has already secured jobs through the initiative. According to the management, verification gaps, regulatory hurdles, weak payment channels, and limited knowledge of foreign markets remain major obstacles to global trade. The firm said its platform aims to reduce these risks by creating a transparent and reliable system for African businesses.
Speaking of skills, the company noted that a large number of Nigerians work with outdated capabilities. It said the platform will help graduates and workers transition to modern roles through mentorship and training delivered by partners in North America and Europe. The organisation stressed that upgrading the workforce remains crucial to improving economic outcomes for families and strengthening Africa’s long-term competitiveness.
The management reiterated that Africa may not realistically create one hundred million jobs soon, but it can empower one hundred million businesses instead. It added that the platform verifies artisans, small businesses, real estate professionals, manufacturers and exporters so global investors, buyers, and off-takers can connect with them directly. Registered users will receive verification badges they can display online or at their physical locations. The firm’s US registration gives users added credibility when dealing with global clients.
The organisation also plans to support clusters of traders by improving collective purchasing power and helping them negotiate better terms with suppliers.
During the keynote session, a guest speaker noted that Africa has entered a period of rapid transformation driven by a growing population, digital adoption, and vast natural resources. The speaker projected that by 2035, Africa’s working-age population will exceed that of China and India combined. With strategic investments in education and entrepreneurship, the continent’s youth could add up to five hundred billion dollars to global GDP by 2050. The speaker also said Africa’s mineral assets, innovation hubs and rising mobile economy position the region as one of the world’s next major growth engines.
Afretrade said its platform will offer training, verification, market access, global partnerships, and investor links, all aimed at helping Africans build scalable, competitive, and sustainable enterprises capable of thriving in global markets.
