By Juliet Umeh

A historic coalition of global business leaders, governments and development partners has launched the world’s first digital 8-Pillar Global Trade Accelerator, GTA, a platform designed to connect one million women-led businesses to international trade opportunities across 102 countries.
The initiative, known as Connecting One Million Women in Trade (C1WT), saw its Global Trade Accelerator (GTA) formally unveiled in Accra, Ghana, following its debut at the GUBA Trade & Investment Conference in Barbados.

The GTA is described as a unified digital ecosystem that prepares women entrepreneurs for global markets by digitising business onboarding, expanding market access and aligning supportive trade policies.
With its structured approach and cross-continental reach, the platform is projected to unlock up to US$900 billion in new women-led commerce across Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas and the global diaspora.

Founder and President of Blueprint Global Group and Executive Producer of C1WT, Dr. Ky Dele, said the launch represented a turning point for women in trade.
She said: “From Bridgetown to Accra, we are moving from symbolism to structure.
“C1WT exists to build an architecture where the grassroots connect with the grasstops, and where women-led enterprises finally have a unified global system that allows them to scale beyond borders.”

At its Barbados introduction, held under the patronage of Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, the GTA was presented as a transformational tool capable of accelerating women’s participation in global commerce.
Former Vice President of Costa Rica, Epsy Campbell Barr, hailed the platform as “a collaborative framework to accelerate women-led trade across the Atlantic corridors,” emphasising its potential to bridge African, Caribbean and American markets.

The Barbados event drew high-level support from Dame Sandra Mason, President of Barbados; Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell of Grenada; His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II; and senior representatives from Mastercard and the Barbados Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber’s Executive Director, Misha Lobban Clarke, said the partnership “forms a key component of the emerging collaboration between C1WT and the Barbados private-sector ecosystem to accelerate women’s participation in global trade.”

Following its Caribbean debut, C1WT convened a high-level gathering in Accra, hosted by the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce & Industry, GNCCI. GNCCI
President, Stéphane Abass Miezan, underscored Ghana’s growing influence, saying, “This initiative positions Ghana as a critical bridge in global commerce. By supporting the rollout of the GTA, we are putting in place structures that enable women to participate competitively and confidently in international markets.”

During the Accra session, the National Black Chamber of Commerce, NBCC, announced new tools via its 360i Innovation & Entrepreneurial Hub aimed at expanding women’s access to capital and investor networks. NBCC President, Charles DeBow, noted that the collaboration “opens unprecedented financial pathways for African and diaspora women entrepreneurs, connecting them to investors, training and business systems that have long been out of reach.”

Representatives from George Washington University also signalled plans to spotlight the GTA at global economic events tied to the 2026 World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings. According to Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships, Kafuti Talahumbu, integrating the platform into international forums will help attract broader institutional support.