Minister Amongi opens, 3rd COMFWB trade fair, conference with a call to mentor woman on international business skills to access global markets
Drake Nyamugabwa
The Minister of Gender, Labour and social dent Hon Betty Amongi called upon business stakeholders to support women in business acquire skills on how to conduct import and export trade including standardization, certification, social networking among others to enable them access regional and global markets and get empowered economically.
The Minister was opening the 3ed COMESA Federation for Women in Business annual Trade Fair and conference held in Uganda on 25th August 2022a at the Uganda Museum organized by Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association (UWEAL) and partners like UNDP among others.
“Women in Business need to standardize their products to access global markets. We need to mentor women in export and import business especially certification, social networking to allow them to negotiate business” she said
The Minister who represented the Vice President HE Jessica Alupo said that there is need to sort out small challenges hindering women to participate in global business through dialogue with players like URA, URSB, Gender Ministry among others which she said if empowered, economies can anchor on them for prosperity.
“Women have shown they can add value, market their products. I pledge to work with UWEAL and the federation under COMESA to build what women have done” she said
The Trade Fair and the conference started on 24th to 26th 2022 attracting over 21 member states of COMFWB and stakeholders in Uganda, and the region aimed at how to achieve economic empowerment at grassroots and upper crust levels.
During the opening of the conference, Connie Kekihembo, the CEO at UWEAL in above picture appreciated all the financial institutions who have gone out of their way to support women in business.
She said that the trade fair and exhibition comes at a time when women like their male counterparts are recovering from the impacts of COVID-19 which ravaged businesses across the country.
“We are glad that this year the trade fair is taking place, of course as you all know we were interrupted by COVID-19 but now we are focusing on the road to recovery. We are offering our women a platform for policy dialogue on strategies to address barriers constraining women and youth entrepreneurs from maximizing opportunities for regional and cross-border trade.’’
The CEO urged women in business at the trade fair to take advantage of the opportunities at the fair to make business connections.
The different products on display at the trade fair are African dresses, art and craft, agriculture products among others.
Sheile Ngatia, the Country Representative UNDP in Uganda said that there is a need to position women in business to to take advantage of the market opportunities in the region including AFCTA, EAC and other blocs as catalysts for trade in Africa.
“Need to boos intra-Africa trade by removing trade barriers because there is potential of Africa that can be realized when we empower women in business” said.
She in the above picture said that the platform like annual COMESA trade fair should be used to exchange ideas and solution through networking.
Countries that participated in 3rd COMFWB trade fair and conference included Tunisia, Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda, Eritria, Comoros, Seychelles, Madagascar, Zambia among others
The Comesa Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB) is a COMESA institution which was established in July 1993 in Zimbabwe with the endorsement of the Authority.
COMFWB acts as a forum for the exchange of ideas and experience among women entrepreneurs; an instrument through which the appropriate portion of COMESA Women in Development Programmes are implemented; a forum for network among women entrepreneurs and an instrument for encouraging women to set up or expand existing enterprises.
