Africa's small businesses are the engine of the continent's economy — but too many of them are locked out of the digital tools, markets, and skills that could help them scale. A major free training initiative is working to change that. The AfCFTA Digital Inclusion & Entrepreneurship Programme (ADIEP), powered by Google Hustle Academy, is equipping thousands of African entrepreneurs with practical digital and business skills to thrive in a fast-changing economy.
Here is a complete guide to what the programme offers, what it covers, who can apply, and how to take part — including a new in-person Forum opportunity for alumni.
What Is ADIEP?
The AfCFTA Digital Inclusion & Entrepreneurship Programme is a free training initiative delivered in partnership with Google Hustle Academy. Its goal is ambitious: to equip 7,500 SMEs in Nigeria and across Africa with practical digital and business skills for growth.
The programme is part of a broader effort by the AfCFTA Secretariat to close the digital skills gap among African SMEs and build a more inclusive, digitally ready business environment across the continent. By partnering with Google Hustle Academy, ADIEP ensures that the training participants receive is hands-on and aligned with current global digital trends.
Crucially, this is not a theory-heavy course. Delivered in a virtual bootcamp format, ADIEP is structured to provide practical, action-driven learning rather than theory. Participants gain direct exposure to tools and strategies they can apply immediately to how they run and scale their businesses. Importantly, the programme is also designed as a continuing journey rather than a one-off event — the initial training is framed as just the beginning, with alumni invited into an ongoing community and further opportunities to engage.
Why It Matters: The AfCFTA Connection
What sets ADIEP apart from a generic digital skills course is its grounding in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) — the agreement working to create a single, continent-wide market for goods and services.
For a small business, "a single African market" can sound abstract. ADIEP is designed to make it concrete: helping entrepreneurs understand how to actually find customers across borders, adapt their products for regional needs, and handle the practical logistics of trading beyond their home country. In that sense, the programme turns trade policy into something a business owner can act on.
The Three Core Modules
ADIEP's training is built around three focused modules, each tackling a different lever of business growth.
1. Cross-Border Digital Trade
Co-created with the AfCFTA Secretariat, this module is where policy becomes practice. Entrepreneurs will learn to find new markets, adapt products, and master the logistics of cross-border payments and shipping. For any business eyeing expansion beyond its national borders, this is the heart of the programme.
2. Cloud for Small Businesses
This module focuses on using cloud tools to boost efficiency and cut costs. Participants get hands-on training with Google Workspace for teamwork and Google Cloud for secure operations. The practical payoff is smoother collaboration, lower overheads, and stronger day-to-day business processes.
3. AI for Productivity
The third pillar introduces entrepreneurs to artificial intelligence as a working tool. Through interactive, trainer-led sessions, participants explore how AI tools — such as Google Gemini — can be applied to improve business performance and accelerate growth.
Delivered in Four Languages
Accessibility is a deliberate design choice. The training is delivered virtually in four languages — English, French, Arabic, and Portuguese — to ensure entrepreneurs across the continent's different linguistic regions can take part. This multilingual approach reflects the programme's inclusion-focused mission, reaching business owners who are often left out of English-only training.
Who Can Apply?
ADIEP targets small and medium-sized enterprises with a foothold already established. The key eligibility points are:
- Operating history: Open to SMEs that have been operating for at least six months.
- Location: Applicants must be based in selected AfCFTA member states.
The list of eligible countries is wide, including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, Rwanda, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia, Angola, Mozambique, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco.
What Participants Gain
Beyond the structured modules, the programme is designed to deliver tangible business outcomes. Participants can expect to:
- Explore cross-border digital trade opportunities under the AfCFTA framework
- Gain practical, hands-on skills in AI and cloud technology to accelerate growth
- Improve efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen their business processes
- Connect and collaborate with fellow entrepreneurs across the continent
That last point is worth emphasising. The networking dimension — connecting with other business owners across Africa — opens doors to collaboration, partnerships, and market expansion that often outlast the training itself.
Beyond the Training: The AfCFTA Digital Trade Forum
One of the most valuable aspects of ADIEP is that the relationship does not end when the training does. Graduates of the Google Hustle Academy join an alumni community that continues to receive opportunities to learn, connect, and grow — and the latest of these is the AfCFTA Digital Trade Forum.
Hosted in partnership with Google Hustle Academy, the Forum is a rare chance for alumni to share a room with policymakers, industry leaders, and fellow entrepreneurs who are actively shaping the future of digital trade across Africa. The message to alumni is clear: as a Hustle Academy graduate, you belong in that conversation.
Forum Details
- Location: Lagos
- Date: 30 June 2026
- Further details: To be confirmed closer to the date
What to Expect at the Forum
- Insights into how the AfCFTA is opening new digital trade corridors for African SMEs
- A live, face-to-face session with Google Hustle Academy facilitators
- Networking with entrepreneurs and other players across the business ecosystem
- Practical takeaways you can apply to your business immediately
How to Reserve a Seat
Spots are limited and reserved on a first come, first served basis, so early action is essential. Alumni are encouraged to RSVP promptly — and to invite a fellow business owner to reserve a seat as well. RSVPs are submitted through the official registration form provided to invited alumni.
Timeline and Format
ADIEP is delivered as a short, intensive virtual bootcamp rather than a long-running course, making it accessible for busy business owners. Training is scheduled to begin in November 2025 and runs in 25 cohorts through June 2026. A total of 7,500 SMEs will be trained across those cohorts. The in-person Forum in Lagos on 30 June 2026 effectively caps off this training cycle, bringing the virtual learning into a face-to-face setting.
How to Apply
The application process for the training is straightforward:
- Visit the official registration link.
- Complete the application form with your SME details.
- You may also be asked to complete a short eligibility survey to confirm the training is the right fit for your business.
Applications can be made through the official Google Hustle Academy registration page for the programme. Alumni invited to the Digital Trade Forum should RSVP separately via the dedicated Forum registration form.
Final Thoughts
For African SMEs, the barrier to growth is rarely a lack of ambition — it is access to the right skills, tools, markets, and rooms. ADIEP addresses all of these at once: free, hands-on training in four languages, backed by both the AfCFTA Secretariat and Google, followed by real opportunities to step into the conversations shaping African digital trade.
Whether your goal is to reach customers in a neighbouring country, cut costs with cloud tools, put AI to work in your operations, or take a seat at the table at the Lagos Forum, the programme offers a practical route forward. If your business qualifies — and especially if you are already a Hustle Academy alumnus — this is an opportunity well worth seizing.
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