Prioritize inclusion of women, youth in digital trade, finance
SECRETARY-GENERAL of the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Mr Wamkele Mene, is rallying African governments to prioritise the inclusion of women and youth in trade, investment and digital finance programmes.
According to Mene, digital and financial inclusion of women and youth could give them greater access to local and international markets through online platforms, expanding their market base by facilitating the easier sale of goods and services.
The AfCFTA boss was speaking at the just-ended 2023 edition of the AfCFTA Conference on Women and Youth in Trade.
The conference, which was convened by the AfCFTA Secretariat and the government of Tanzania sought to, among others, engage stakeholders and strengthen partnerships to ensure increased participation of women in trade in the AfCFTA.
The meeting was to enhance knowledge among women in trade on the AfCFTA, and its operational instruments to improve engagement on the AfCFTA and +strengthen the capacity of women to participate in the AfCFTA market.
Mr Mene charged his audience, saying “as you may know, we have a call to action for digital financial inclusion for the success of the One African Market developed in partnership with Smart Afnca and The Better Than Cash Alliance.”
“We call on governments to strive for financial equality by championing the inclusion of women and youth in trade, measuring progress through disaggregated data, and using the data to enact the necessary policy action. Further, financial services providers need to ensure women and youth are included throughout product development to ensure new products are appropriate to their needs,” he stated.
He rallied governments to encourage women and youth entrepreneurs to continuously seize opportunities that foster innovation and transformation in their businesses, relentlessly turning challenges into opportunities.
“Through innovative and inclusive implementation of the Protocol, we can foster an environment conducive to private sector investment and skills development, ultimately advancing integration. Regional and continental integration will create market opportunities through improved value chains and e-commerce,” Mene advised.
He charged all to look at the AfCFTA for Africa’s preparedness and challenges in the next century, but urged African leaders to also look at the AfCFTA as a tool for creating opportunities for young people.
The conference also provided the opportunity to share best practices on accelerating the participation of women in the AfCFTA among public, private, civil society, and partner stakeholders to inform the implementation of the AfCFTA Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade.
It afforded the building of synergies and strengthening of cooperation among stakeholders for an accelerated and inclusive implementation of the AfCFTA by enhancing women’s participation, while providing a platform for the promotion of women in trade, business linkages, and peer learning.
The session was to help define priorities and identify key interventions for the inclusive implementation of AfCFTA Agreement, its protocols, especially the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade and develop a partners’ collaborative framework on the implementation of the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade.
