ECOWAS Regional Project 2026 · West Africa SME Trade Facilitation
Training
to Transaction.
A five-stage pipeline that moves established African businesses from domestic readiness to verified cross-border trade. The programme does not end with a certificate. It ends with a completed transaction.
Access the US Market Entry Essentials ToolkitThe Difference
Most trade programmes end with a certificate.
T2T was built differently. The programme does not end until your business has completed an actual cross-border trade, with goods moved, payment cleared in foreign exchange, and a verified transaction on your business record. That single shift changes everything about how the programme is structured, who delivers it, and what success means.
GABA's Role
Your American landing point.
The GABA Marketplace Center, located in Detroit, Michigan, is the United States market access partner for the T2T programme. When your goods are cleared for execution, GABA provides the physical trade infrastructure, aggregation and distribution pathways, buyer relationships, and business support on the American side.
GABA has spent over twelve years building diaspora-connected trade infrastructure in Michigan, supporting African and Caribbean entrepreneurs through business development, capital access, and market activation across both US and continental markets.
Recognized. Verified. Trusted. Connected.
Our institutional standing
in the US market.
When your goods land in the United States, your partner's credibility matters. GABA is a formally recognized institution with verified standing across the US business and trade ecosystem.
WBENC certification is the most widely recognized women-owned business certification in the United States, accepted by over 1,000 major corporations and government agencies. It verifies that GABA is at least 51 percent owned, controlled, and managed by women, having passed a rigorous documentation review and site visit process. For our T2T partners, this means your US landing point carries institutional credibility that opens doors to corporate and government supply chains.
The Detroit Regional Chamber is one of the largest and most respected chambers of commerce in the United States, serving the Southeast Michigan business community for over 100 years. Signature membership is the Chamber's highest membership tier, connecting GABA directly to senior regional business, civic, and government leadership. It places GABA at the center of the economic ecosystem your goods are entering.
The American Great Lakes Ports Association represents the unified network of US commercial ports across the Great Lakes, serving as the primary coordinating body for maritime commerce, infrastructure advocacy, and regional trade development. GABA's relationship with the Association signals a broader and more powerful positioning, ensuring that goods entering the United States are not limited to a single port of entry, but are instead connected to an integrated system of ports across the Great Lakes. This establishes direct pathways into a multi-state trade corridor, enabling scalable logistics, diversified entry points, and long-term access to one of North America's most critical inland maritime networks.
Membership in the Michigan State Chamber of Commerce connects GABA to the statewide business advocacy network, policy conversations, and commercial relationships that shape the environment your business will operate in. It signals that GABA is embedded in Michigan's formal business infrastructure at both the regional and state level.
Who This Is For
Established businesses.
Ready to export.
T2T is not for businesses starting out. Participants are established SMEs that have already undergone prior export readiness training and are now positioned to move from knowledge into actual cross-border execution. Priority sectors for the current cohort include:
Target Markets
Where your goods are headed.
ECOWAS and the GABA Marketplace Center are providing structured access to buyers and investors actively sourcing from African businesses in the following markets.
About the Programme
A commercially structured
acquisition pipeline.
T2T is not a training programme and it is not a grant. It is a disciplined, execution-focused pipeline designed for established businesses that are ready to move beyond knowledge into actual trade. Participants have typically already completed export readiness training and are positioned to scale into structured, cross-border markets. Attrition is performance-based and expected. The result is a select cohort with demonstrated export capacity, formal banking relationships, and completed international trades.
What most programmes deliver
Training and a certificate
You attend, you learn, and then you go back and figure out the rest alone. There is no structured pathway to an actual buyer, no transaction support, and no banking infrastructure to move money across borders when you find one.
What T2T delivers
A completed cross-border transaction
Market preparation, buyer matching, compliance clearance, shipment coordination, FX settlement through Providus Bank, and US market access through the GABA Marketplace Center — all structured in sequence, none optional.
Programme Stages
Five stages.
One transaction.
The pipeline is designed to filter for quality. Each stage is a performance gate. Only enterprises that meet the standard progress to the next.
Stage One
National Onboarding & Trade Readiness Screening
Enterprise readiness assessment covering product viability, operational capacity, governance, and financial discipline. Physical sessions validate seriousness. Early account onboarding with Providus Bank begins here.
Stage Two
Market Preparation & Financial Compliance
Sector-specific track alignment (agro-processing, fashion, creative exports, light manufacturing). Pricing, positioning, packaging, and regulatory compliance. KYC completion, invoicing discipline, and export documentation. Only compliant enterprises advance.
Stage Three
Market Access & Buyer Engagement
Structured, facilitated introductions to buyers and investors actively sourcing from African businesses in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and intra-African corridors. Real conversations. Contract fundamentals. Transaction structuring.
This is where GABA activates. Your US market access begins here.
Stage Four
Transaction Execution & FX Settlement
Shipment coordination through XPT Logistics. Payment execution and FX settlement through Providus Bank. US market landing and distribution support through the GABA Marketplace Center in Detroit, Michigan.
Stage Five
Graduation, Reporting & Scale
Transaction tracking, enterprise progression analysis, and pipeline development for repeat trade cycles. Graduates enter an alumni or accelerator track with ongoing access to GABA Marketplace Center infrastructure.
Get Started
Ready to enter the US market?
T2T graduates access the GABA US Market Entry Essentials Toolkit at no cost. Four targeted resources covering US business registration, financial stability, partnerships, and legal compliance. Everything you need to land and operate in the American market.