Tunis — A Pan-African conference on "Promoting the Development of African Women in Business (AWIB) 1: Towards Economic and Social Leadership", opens at the Hotel Hilton Yaoundé in Cameroon on Monday, under the auspices of the Private Sector Department of the African Development Bank (ADB). The event is being co-organized with the African Network for Support to Women Entrepreneurs (ANSWE) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The conference will give the opportunity to (i) exchange experiences and promote networking among key field partners, (ii) raise awareness among stakeholders from all Africa and challenge the existing mind set about "Women in Business" in both the public and private sectors, (iii) discuss implications for donors, institutions and countries on the different issues presented and (iv) come up with concrete recommendations on how to provide more effective support for women entrepreneurship development and businesswomen networking.
Topics to be discussed include: (i) the role of African Businesswomen in Economic and Social Development, (ii) Women Entrepreneurship support and promotion including principles on gender equality, iii) Approaches and strategies to support financing growing a business; iv) Gender Mainstreaming in International Trade; v) International Markets and Network Best Practices; vi) Offering effective and sustainable business development services to promote women's entrepreneurship; and vi) Networking & role of International and Regional Business organizations.
Senior policy makers from the public sector - particularly involved in SME policymaking - as well as women entrepreneurs, and representatives of Businesswomen associations have been invited to attend.
The organisation of the conference fits into the Bank' s AWIB initiative and is also in line with its overall Gender Policy and related Gender Plan of Action.
The gathering is expected to facilitate dialogue among multilateral and bilateral partners, thereby bringing different perspectives to similar problems encountered, offering insights on how to translate plans into practical and meaningful results. The participatory and thematic approach will enable participants to mobilise partnerships around some concrete actions.
