Boosting women’s engagement in trade and promoting inclusive economic development in Africa
The SheTrades Initiative works to foster more inclusive business and policy ecosystems and increase the competitiveness of women entrepreneurs and women producers and connect them to markets.
The farmer leader Yagu Bangura poses in front of seed bags stored at the warehouse of the Tauropanneh Agri-business Centre in Bombali District, Sierra Leone © Sebastian Liste
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has combined efforts with the International Trade Centre (ITC) SheTrades Initiative to support women in overcoming gender-based obstacles in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
A new joint programme launched today will promote women’s readiness to engage in negotiations around the AfCFTA, as well as their access to capacity building and higher-productivity activities, capitalizing on the new opportunities in regional trade created by the agreement. Spanning over 12 months, the collaboration aims to empower women producers, processors, and traders in agriculture and agro-processing value chains via initiatives which will bring together a wide variety of stakeholders. Through continental private-public sector dialogues, FAO and ITC will present recommendations for mainstreaming gender in trade policies to government representatives. The dialogues will also enable women’s groups to articulate their needs, challenges and priorities so that policymakers can determine appropriate measures to improve the business environment for women. FAO and ITC will also host capacity building sessions for women’s associations and cooperatives on trade procedures for small enterprises, compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary regulations, access to finance and investment, e-commerce and digitalization, and practical market research. The sessions will include a training of trainers to ensure long-term sustainability of the learning processes.
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