(5 minutes read)
· AfCFTA organizes conference on women empowerment
· The virtual event was aimed at creating a better
understanding of the contribution of the private sector to policies that will advance the economic empowerment of women under AfCFTA
· Conference discussed how to ensure decent and productive employment to women in trade in services, as well as how to create a gender-responsive trade facilitation agenda, the gender dimension of investment, competition policy and intellectual property rights under
the AfCFTA
The African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC), a unit of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), hosted a conference on leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to boost women’s economic empowerment on Tuesday 23 February.
The virtual event was aimed at creating a better understanding of the contribution of the private sector to policies that will advance the economic empowerment of women under AfCFTA.
Conference discussed how to ensure decent and productive employment to women in trade in services, as well as how to create a gender-responsive trade facilitation agenda, the gender dimension of investment, competition policy and intellectual property rights under the AfCFTA.
The speakers at the conference included David Luke, Coordinator of the ATPC, Thokozile Ruzvidzo, Director, Gender, Poverty and Social Policy Division at the ECA, Mr Cas Coovadia, BUSA CEO, South Africa’s Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite-Nkoana Mashabane, Ms Busi Mabusa, Chairperson of the International Development Corporation (IDC), and Ms Niki Kruger, Chief Director of Trade Negotiations in the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC).
The AfCFTA promotes entrepreneurship and economic empowerment opportunities for women-owned businesses through increased access to new regional export markets and expanded opportunities across key sectors. With the exception of Eritrea, the remaining 54 member-countries of the African Union (AU) have signed the treaty establishing the AfCFTA among which 36 have ratified the agreement.
