Naveen Jamea seeks to increase economic cooperation with African countries

Within the framework of enhancing cooperation between Egypt and the African countries in various economic and commercial fields, the Agency for the Development of Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises, in cooperation with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Group, held a ceremony to launch 50 Million African Women Speak platform (50MAWSP) under the auspices of Naveen Jamea, Minister of Trade and Industry and Chief Executive of the Enterprise Development Authority, in the presence of Dr. Maya Morsi, Chairman of the National Council for Women, and Engineer Tariq Shash, Deputy Executive President of the Enterprise Development Authority, and Mrs. Malin Bloomberg, representative of the African Development Bank, and Ms. Chilichy Kabweboy, Secretary General of COMESA participated in the forum.

This platform aims to activate commercial and industrial communication between millions of women owners of small and medium enterprises and women entrepreneurs in the African continent.

Engineer Tariq Shash delivered a speech on behalf of Nevin Jamea, in which she indicated that the participation of the Enterprise Development Authority in launching the platform 50MAWSP accordance with the state's directives to strengthen economic cooperation with various African countries and increase trade exchange.

In her speech, Jamea explained that this platform is the culmination of the agency’s efforts in coordination with various organizations and leading institutions in the field of comprehensive development and empowerment of women in African countries, the most important of which is the African Development Bank, which is one of the largest and most important partners and donors.

It financed many agreements, programs and large development projects that the agency has implemented in most governorates of the Republic since its inception until now, as well as the COMESA Group.

She added that this project is the first electronic platform that connects 50 million women in the field of business in 38 African countries, and will contribute greatly and effectively to facilitate the transfer of ideas, knowledge and information among female entrepreneurs and women entrepreneurs across the African continent. Her Excellency explained that the Enterprise Development Authority will be responsible for managing Egypt's content and information on this platform.

 Maya Morsi, President of the National Council for Women, expressed her pride and happiness in launching this important platform that will bring together millions of women owners of small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs in Africa in one place, stressing that it is an important step on the road to achieving economic empowerment of African women in implementation of the goals of sustainable development, pointing out.

Noting that the Council has been represented in the podium since the start of thinking about it in implementation of the directives of the political leadership keen to support and empower African women, believing that empowering African women is empowering the entire continent, explaining that the plans and policies that Egypt is implementing to improve the status of women and their role in society at all levels at the level Patriotism does not take place in isolation from its African affiliation.

Malin Bloomberg, representative of the African Development Bank, stressed that launching the platform is a very promising initiative as it will enhance financial inclusion on the one hand, and support cooperation and information sharing between women owners of small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs in Egypt and their counterparts in African countries on the other hand.

The representative of the African Bank explained that this platform would also improve the enabling environment for women in Egypt and expressed her gratitude that the platform would be managed in Egypt through the Project Development Authority, with which the bank cooperated closely, especially over the last decade.

COMESA Secretary General Chilichi Kabuwe said that the 50 million African women’s platform is not just a marketplace for women in Egypt to display their products or communicate with those who buy these products, but rather a center that provides information that enables them to access financial services and business management training.

Financial literacy, and it also provides them with useful advice and guidance on how to engage in import and export business, and indicated that COMESA has implemented this platform with funding from the African Development Bank amounting to 14 million dollars.