Small businesses across Africa and other emerging markets are set to gain expanded support for international trade following the renewal of a partnership between the International Trade Centre and DHL focused on helping entrepreneurs overcome logistics and cross-border trade barriers.
The International Trade Centre and DHL have signed a new memorandum of understanding to deepen their collaboration supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, with particular attention to women-led businesses seeking to reach customers beyond their domestic markets.
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The partnership brings together ITC’s expertise in market intelligence, SME development and inclusive trade with DHL’s international logistics network and technical knowledge. The organizations say the collaboration will help strengthen the support systems businesses need to export products, manage supply chains and participate more effectively in global commerce.
Small and medium-sized enterprises account for around 90 percent of businesses globally, provide approximately 70 percent of employment and contribute about 70 percent of global GDP. Despite their economic importance, many smaller businesses continue to face challenges involving logistics, market access, digital capabilities, finance and international trade procedures.
Under the renewed agreement, ITC and DHL will support small businesses with cross-border exports, supply chains and logistics while working with business-support organizations and ITC SheTrades Hubs to strengthen services available to SMEs and women entrepreneurs.
The two organizations will also advocate for small businesses and women entrepreneurs in international discussions, high-level events and engagements with governments, private-sector organizations and other decision-makers.
For African entrepreneurs, logistics remains an important part of the journey from producing a competitive product to successfully reaching customers in other countries. The renewed partnership is designed to address that gap by connecting entrepreneurs with practical knowledge, logistics expertise and networks that can support their international expansion.
The collaboration builds on nearly a decade of work between ITC and DHL through initiatives including DHL GoTrade, ITC SheTrades and ITC ecomConnect. Together, these programs have reached small businesses across more than 60 countries in Africa, ASEAN, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Since 2021, DHL GoTrade projects have been launched in more than 60 countries, reaching over 26,000 SMEs and 8,000 women-owned businesses through training in logistics, e-commerce and trade. The program has helped entrepreneurs build practical capabilities for participating in international markets.
Through ITC SheTrades, the organizations have worked since 2018 to provide women-led businesses with technical assistance, logistics knowledge and shipping solutions. The initiative has reached more than 4,000 women-led businesses across 60 countries and has increasingly connected local SheTrades Hubs with DHL country offices and relevant expertise.
The partnership has also supported digital commerce through ITC ecomConnect. Between 2020 and 2024, the initiative connected more than 400 SMEs with DHL support, including preferential shipping arrangements that reduced costs by up to 60 percent in selected markets.
The renewed collaboration comes as governments, business-support organizations and private companies continue looking for ways to make international trade more accessible to smaller enterprises. For women entrepreneurs in particular, stronger connections to logistics and trade networks can provide additional pathways to new customers and markets.
ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said the partnership would help businesses address the challenge of getting their products to customers while ensuring that the perspectives of small businesses, particularly women-led enterprises, are represented in trade discussions.
Hennie Heymans, CEO of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, said SMEs need access to knowledge, finance, digital capabilities and logistics support to participate more fully in international trade.
The partnership also builds on DHL’s participation as a private-sector champion at ITC’s inaugural Global SME Ministerial Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, in July 2025, reinforcing the role of collaboration between international organizations and private companies in supporting entrepreneurs.
With its renewed focus on logistics, market access, skills and inclusive trade, the ITC-DHL partnership provides another avenue for small businesses to connect local enterprise with international opportunity, helping entrepreneurs build the capabilities and networks needed to grow across borders.
