Africa: Making African Continental Free Trade Area Work for Women in a Post-Covid-19 World

On 1st January 2021, trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement commenced after months of delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The AfCFTA aims to bring together 1.3 billion people in a $3.4 trillion economic bloc, making it the largest free trade area since the establishment of the World Trade Organization. Ghana […]

EAC women to benefit from Moringa industry

THE East African Women in Business Platform (EAWiBP) has partnered with East African Community (EAC) Secretariat to launch the project on value addition for increased market access in the Moringa products. The project is being funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH through the Intra-Regional Trade Facility Initiative (IRTF). The EAC Secretariat Principal […]

How removal of trade barriers benefits women

SUMMARY Women stand to gain up to 2.5 percent more in real income with removal of trade barriers, a new World Bank report has shown. The joint report by the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organisation has revealed that trade openness can increase women income and welfare by easing business activities and reducing […]

Trade for poverty alleviation: Women and small traders

#IEAWebinar28 on the Plight of Women Traders during the COVID-19 pandemic; Trade in Services, Trade in Goods and the Policy Environment

This presentation was made by Ms. Gloria Atuheirwe of Trade Mark East Africa during the Virtual public forum on the Plight of Women Traders during the COVID-19 pandemic; Trade in Services, Trade in Goods and the Policy Environment held on Thursday, 10th September 2020. Read original article

Business Think Tank: A look at how women are participating in informal cross-border trade

In the Business Think Tank today, Smart24 TV’s Kamweya Tushabe will encourage our panel of experts to talk about the ‘Economic Contribution of Women in Informal Cross-border Trading’. The panelists are: Jane Nalunga, the executive director of SEATINI Jacob Siminyu, the spokesperson of the ministry of Internal Affairs Connie Kihembo, the CEO of Uganda Women […]

Funding women’s innovative projects revs Africa’s economy

Despite Africa’s informal sector employing more than 80 per cent of the workforce, it receives little or no attention when it comes to government’s policy plans implementation. This neglect leaves it exposed to the ravages of unavailable financing or expensive credit which slows down the achievement of the sector’s full potential in growing the various […]

EAC launches 50 Million African Women Speak Networking Platform

The East African Community has kicked-off national launches of the 50 Million African Women Speak Networking Platform (50MAWS), a digital platform aimed at empowering millions of women in Africa to start, grow and scale up their businesses. Gracing the national launch for the United Republic of Tanzania at the Karimjee Hall, in Dar es Salaam, […]

Uganda/Kenya: Women traders hit hard by ‘COVID-19 nationalism’

East African Community women traders have been the worst-affected by border closures, with trade declining by more than 50%. This is one of the unintended consequences of a lack of a regional approach to COVID-19 containment measures, which have caused havoc in the region’s major trade routes. Those in trade have termed this COVID-19 nationalism. […]

Business women have big role to play in post-COVID-19 Africa: UNECA official

ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) — The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNEAC) on Friday said that African women in business have a big role to play in a post-COVID-19 Africa. The statement was made by Mama Keita, Director of the UNECA in East Africa, during a regional virtual dialogue that aimed to address […]