Binyam Tamene
24 February 2008
Addis Ababa — International Labor Organization (ILO) on Thursday launched what will be the first comprehensive membership directory of five major women entrepreneurs associations (WEAs) in Ethiopia. The membership directory contains easy-to-use listings on women entrepreneurs associations based in Adama, Addis Ababa, Amhara, Mekele and Southern Regions with practical information on more than 4,500 women entrepreneurs.
According to the UN agency, the directory aims to supply key market information to women entrepreneurs and create connection amongest them.
The directory also reflects the majority of WEAs engaged in almost all business sectors, creates an effective research tool highlighting the diversity of women's businesses.
Admiring the launching of Ethiopia's first directory of women entrepreneurs associations, vice president of National Women's Entrepreneurs Association of Ethiopia (NWEAE), Engedaye Eshete said the membership directory will boost the capacity of Ethiopian entrepreneurs.
"Apart from connecting the women entrepreneurs' to the business community, it makes us to use our resources in a better way by creating a channel for sharing information with each other's products in particular and their business in general," she observed at a launching ceremony of the directory held at the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectorial Association.
"Besides, the directory will give a chance to our business to be known to our foreign counterparts entrepreneurs through the key market information in the directory", she added Despite the directory incorporate information's only on associations in five regions of the country, the Vice President said NWEAE would work to its best level to make the remaining women a part of it and enjoy the benefits so soon ILO Director for Sub-Regional office in Eastern Africa, Ms Alice Ouedraogo, said the directory could improve the networks and business information for Women Entrepreneurs to use more opportunity effectively "Research carried out by the ILO-Irish Aid Partnership Programme consistently shows that women entrepreneurs have Less accesses to business information and networks than men; this in turn can Lead to Limited knowledge of market opportunities and thus Lower Levels of growth and employment," she said.
ILO developed the directory in collaboration with Irish Aid Partnership Programme and under the framework of "Developing Women Entrepreneur Associations Membership Bases" (WEAMB Project) signed between the Irish Aid and the ILO in October 2006.
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