Sirius Minerals Executives Participate in UNDP ECoWYERT Regional Trade Workshop

Sirius Minerals executives participated in stakeholder engagements and workshops under the Enhancing Capacities of Women and Youth-Led Enterprises for Regional Trade (ECoWYERT) Project, a landmark initiative designed to increase participation of women and youth-led enterprises in regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The ECoWYERT project is a five-year, multi-country regional programme running from 2025 to 2030 and represents one of the continent’s most ambitious trade inclusion initiatives focused on unlocking opportunities for young entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses within Africa’s emerging single market.

Led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, the programme is being implemented alongside the International Trade Centre (ITC), the COMESA Federation for Women in Business (COMFWB), the Better Than Cash Alliance (BTCA), and the Trade and Development Fund (TDF).

The initiative spans six countries including Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with a shared objective of strengthening cross-border trade participation, improving market access, supporting digital trade adoption, and building more inclusive regional value chains.

For Sirius Minerals, participation in the ECoWYERT engagement reflects the company’s growing role within Africa’s evolving trade ecosystem and its commitment to ensuring that artisanal and small-scale mining communities are not excluded from the opportunities presented by AfCFTA.

The company believes that women and young entrepreneurs will play a critical role in shaping the future of Africa’s mineral economy, particularly within artisanal mining, mineral trading, logistics, processing, jewellery manufacturing, and value addition industries.

Over the next five years, Sirius-MTP aims to work in alignment with the objectives of ECoWYERT by supporting several strategic priorities across the continent.

These include expanding market access opportunities for women and youth-led mining enterprises, improving participation of small mining businesses in regional trade, strengthening digital trade capabilities within ASM communities, and enabling greater access to formal buyers and export markets.

The company also aims to support financial inclusion through improved transaction visibility and traceability, reduce barriers to regional mineral trade, and contribute to the development of transparent cross-border mineral value chains aligned with AfCFTA objectives.

Sirius-MTP further intends to create opportunities for women and youth participation beyond extraction activities alone by supporting growth in beneficiation, mineral processing, gemstone cutting, jewellery manufacturing, logistics, compliance services, and digital trade support industries.

The success of AfCFTA will ultimately depend on whether smaller enterprises and underserved communities are able to participate meaningfully in the opportunities created by continental integration.

Sirius executives believe digital infrastructure platforms such as Sirius-MTP can play an important role in democratizing access to regional markets by reducing information asymmetry, increasing transparency, and lowering barriers to participation for emerging enterprises.

Participation in the ECoWYERT process further positions Sirius Minerals within a growing network of institutions and stakeholders working to build a more inclusive, competitive, and interconnected African economy.

As Africa moves toward deeper regional integration, Sirius Minerals remains committed to ensuring that artisanal and small-scale mining communities become active participants in - and beneficiaries of - the continent’s next chapter of trade and industrial development.