In launching the Global SME Ministerial process, ITC cemented a new international political space for the needs of small businesses. A high-level policy dialogue pushed that global momentum on the margins of the WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

More on the WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14)

The dialogue took place at the Trade and Sustainability Hub set up by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, a leading global think tank. 

The session gathered senior policymakers from Cameroon, Costa Rica and Switzerland, to share practical insights on how to turn small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) into engines of national growth.

‘Spaces like these are extremely valuable for SME development,’ said Monica Rubiolo, Head of Trade Promotion, State Secretary for Economic Affairs of Switzerland.

At the inaugural Global SME Ministerial Meeting last year in Johannesburg, 60 countries endorsed a Call to Action, creating a process to strengthen collaboration around three policy priorities: access to finance, digital transformation and the green transition.

A platform for advocacy and shared learning

ITC Director of Country Programmes, Escipion Oliveira Gómez, moderated the Yaoundé session, which demonstrated the value of sustained ministerial engagement ahead of the second Global SME Ministerial in 2027. Panellists underscored the importance of keeping small businesses at the centre of global trade policymaking. That was even more relevant at MC14 as developing countries seek inclusive pathways to growth.

Cameroon’s Minister of Small and Medium-size Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, Achille Bassilekin III, highlighted the country’s efforts to accelerate formalization, expand digital infrastructure, and reform SME finance through a newly restructured national development bank. 

He stressed that strengthening SMEs is essential for job creation and competitiveness, noting that recent financial sector reforms have already supported more than 11,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Costa Rica’s Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce, Patricia Rojas, shared concrete policy innovations linking environmental stewardship with competitiveness. 

A particular policy innovation that captured the audience’s attention was Costa Rica’s one window formalization fairs. These bring together local governments and support agencies to simplify licensing and business registration – an approach that has enabled the formalization of over 20,000 SMEs in four years. 

Minister Rojas Morales welcomed ITC’s digital platform for policy exchange, noting Costa Rica’s existing commitment to share its experience development financing for small businesses.

Representing Switzerland, Monica Rubiolo emphasized the country’s role in fostering spaces for dialogue and partnership, including support to ITC and the Trade and Sustainability Hub. She highlighted Switzerland’s ecosystem for innovation and skills development, where SMEs play a central role in training, research linkages and value chain integration. She also pointed to the importance of digital tools such as ITC’s Global Trade Helpdesk and SheTrades in supporting women led enterprises.

Thought leadership through diversity of experience

The combination of voices from three different continents led to praise from the audience, which included entrepreneurs and policymakers from Cameroon.

‘This allows me to learn more from entrepreneurs in other countries,’ said a young businesswoman who took the microphone during the Q&A session.

Despite different national contexts, all three speakers converged on the need for more coordinated policy action, stronger financial instruments and greater investment in digital readiness.

As countries move toward 2027, ITC will continue to facilitate ministerial dialogue and build the shared digital platform mandated by governments – a resource designed to scale best practices and strengthen SME ecosystems worldwide.

27 March 2026, Yaoundé, Cameroon - Costa Rica’s Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce, Patricia Rojas.

27 March 2026, Yaoundé, Cameroon - Cameroon’s Minister of Small and Medium-size Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, Achille Bassilekin III.

27 March 2026, Yaoundé, Cameroon - Monica Rubiolo, Head of Trade Promotion, State Secretary for Economic Affairs of Switzerland.