Integrating youth-led SMEs and startups into regional value chains (RVCs) presents a strategic pathway to addressing both youth unemployment and economic diversification. Successful integration can expand market access, stimulate cross-border investment, and generate scalable job creation, particularly in labour-intensive and emerging sectors such as agro-processing, textiles, green manufacturing, and logistics. For example, Zambia’s agro-industrialisation strategy targets 300,000 new jobs by 2030, with at least half for youth (ZDA, 2024). Similarly, the renewable energy sector in Namibia and South Africa is projected to create tens of thousands of jobs, with South Africa’s Green Hydrogen Programme alone expecting to employ 20,000 people by 2030 (DTIC, 2023). However, unlocking this potential requires more than market access; it demands deliberate policy alignment, innovative financing models, trade facilitation support, and inclusive partnership ecosystems that link youth entrepreneurs to suppliers, buyers, and enablers across borders. Evidence from successful firms and trade hubs across Africa shows that targeted interventions can break down barriers and accelerate the participation of youth-led enterprises in RVCs. This session will build on these lessons, focusing on how to replicate and scale them within AfCFTA’s framework to deliver tangible employment and enterprise growth outcomes.