African entrepreneurs need greater access to international markets to unlock the export potential of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), experts and business leaders have said at the opening of African Marketplace (AMP) Dubai 2026.
The three-day exhibition, which opened at the Conrad Dubai on October 10 and runs until October 12, is bringing together African and Caribbean businesses, international buyers, strategic partners and members of Dubai’s business community to explore trade opportunities and showcase products, services, technology and creative innovations.
Ibukun Awosika, founder of African Marketplace and the Ibukun Awosika Leadership Academy (IALA), said SMEs account for about 90 percent of the Afro-Caribbean productive sector but remain largely underrepresented in international markets, limiting their access to buyers and commercial opportunities beyond their home countries.
She said the exhibition was established to bridge this gap by giving businesses from Africa and the Caribbean a platform to demonstrate the quality of their offerings, build relationships with international buyers and expand their reach into new markets.
“Ninety percent of our productive sector sits in the SME space, and that is where the value is. The world just does not know it yet. Our job is to unlock these businesses as an export machine and take them to the global stage,” Awosika said.
Reflecting on the inaugural edition, she said some visitors had questioned whether the products on display were genuinely manufactured in Africa, highlighting the need for African businesses to improve their visibility and demonstrate their capacity to compete internationally.
“Last year, visitors asked us if these products were really made in Africa. They are. When people see them and hold them, the doubt goes. That is why we are in Dubai,” she added.
Walid Hareb AlFalahi, founder and chief executive officer of UAE Trade Centre, said interest in African products in Dubai was growing, noting that the 2026 edition had recorded improvements compared with the previous year.
“Market entry takes persistence. From last year to this year, I see a major improvement. There is real interest in African products here, and this can grow bigger,” AlFalahi said.
He also called for stronger participation from women’s business groups and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce to widen the network of potential buyers and partners available to participating businesses.
The exhibition was formally opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony involving Awosika, AlFalahi, Grace El Mahmoud Marabe, Ghana’s consul general to Dubai, and Janice Costa, project manager and events and partnerships leader at the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism is the event’s key strategic partner, while Afreximbank, which supported the organisers at the inaugural edition in 2025, has returned as a strategic partner and key sponsor.
The Development Bank of Nigeria has joined the exhibition as a partner for the first time, supporting selected exhibitors to participate. Other supporters include FCMB, Emadeb Energy and Senator Daisy Danjuma.
African Business Heroes, an initiative established by the Jack Ma Foundation to support African entrepreneurship, is also represented at the exhibition, with some of its previous winners showcasing their businesses.
The participation of financial institutions, development organisations and private-sector partners is expected to help connect exhibitors with commercial networks and potential opportunities for expansion.
