ATPC, BUSA organize conference on women’s empowerment in AfCFTA era

The African Trade Policy Center (ATPC), a unit of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), will host a conference on leveraging the Free Trade Area Continental Africa (AfCFTA) to stimulate women. economic empowerment on Tuesday 23 February.

The virtual event aims to create a better understanding of the contribution of the private sector to policies that will advance the economic empowerment of women within the framework of the trade bloc which began its activities on January 1 of this year.

It will also discuss how to ensure decent and productive employment for women in services trade, as well as how to create a gender-responsive trade facilitation program, and examine the gender dimension of investment. , competition policy and intellectual property rights within the framework of the AfCFTA.

The results of the conference will be used to support the design of gender-responsive measures that help rebuild better in longer-term post-COVID-19 economic recovery efforts, accelerating the implementation of the Financial and Economic Decade of the United Nations. African women 2020-2030 Inclusion.

David Luke, Coordinator of CLTS, Thokozile Ruzvidzo, Director, Gender, Poverty and Social Policy Division at ECA, and Mr. Cas Coovadia, CEO of BUSA will deliver opening remarks. South Africa’s Minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite-Nkoana Mashabane, Ms. Busi Mabusa, President of the International Development Corporation (IDC), and Ms. Niki Kruger, Senior Director of Trade, are also expected to take the floor during the opening session. Negotiations at 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 in key sectors. With the exception of Eritrea, the other 54 member countries of the African Union (AU) have signed the treaty establishing the AfCFTA, of which 36 have ratified the agreement.