The 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD26) brought together thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from across the continent and has already triggered hundreds of business-to-business engagements, according to Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, executive chairman of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN).
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (10 February), Otchere-Darko said the event achieved its primary objective of connecting African businesses across borders to stimulate trade and partnerships under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“We wanted to bring Africa’s SMEs together and, having looked at the final data, what is clear is that we had thousands of people coming from all walks of enterprise across the continent,” he said.
“I’m not too sure there was a single country left out.”
Otchere-Darko told Ekow Essilfie, host of the Asaase Breakfast Show, that about 500 entities formally requested business-to-business (B2B) meetings during the Dialogues, and that matchmaking is still going on after the event.
“Even as I speak, those things are going on, where businesses are being linked to other businesses,” he said.
The Africa Prosperity Network boss announced that many exhibitors have reported direct commercial benefits, including real estate firms which closed property sales and manufacturers that secured orders from other African markets.
He affirmed that SMEs remain central to Africa’s growth prospects and said African nations must support small business through collaboration rather than rhetoric.
“If SMEs drive the market, then get them networking, get them collaborating across borders,” Otchere-Darko urged.
The Africa Prosperity Dialogues are now a fixture in Africa’s business calendar, Otchere-Darko said, drawing increasing participation each year from entrepreneurs, investors and global partners interested in Africa’s single market.
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