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December 17th, 2024

Empowering Women in Cross-Border Trade and Services within the EAC – Women CEO Roundtable (GIZ)

On 9 December 2024, the EAC and the East Africa Women in Business Platform (EAWiBP), with the support of the EAC-GIZ DIGEAT & LIFTED projects, convened the Women CEOs Breakfast Meeting on Promoting Women in Business in Intra-regional Trade.  Held in Nairobi as part of the 7th EAC Secretary General’s Forum 2024, the breakfast meeting aimed to equip women CEOs with a common understanding of existing trade opportunities and mechanisms for East African women and develop recommendations for policy and regulatory support to empower women in business.

The meeting brought together representatives from the EAC Secretariat, private sector, civil society, development agencies, financial institutions and banks, and Women Engineering Associations from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda to deliberate on actionable strategies for enhancing women’s participation in intra-EAC trade and services.

The CEOs observed that economic empowerment of women was a critical driver for sustainable development in the East African Community, and despite the strides made in promoting gender equality, women in business continued to face challenges when engaging in cross-border trade and services. They identified the challenges, including limited access to financing, complex legal and regulatory frameworks, and persistent non-tariff barriers. In addressing the challenges, the CEOs agreed to foster dialogue and collaboration among key stakeholders, identify solutions, and advance strategies to support women in cross-border trade.

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Representing the EAC Secretary General, Ms. Flavia Busingye, the EAC Director of Customs, noted that as a community, the EAC was working with partners on programmes that had enabled women to move from one step to the next. She highlighted examples of programmes spearheaded by EAC, including those aimed at simplifying customs processes for ease of movement of goods, digital transformation programmes, and setting up of gender desks at border points to address complaints of harassment. “Women constitute about 70% of the informal cross-border trade, and therefore when women are empowered, they become the real change makers,” she added.

Speaking during the event, Ms. Nancy Gitonga, EAWiBP Chairperson, urged the CEOs to not only support building an economically resilient region but one that is inclusive and sustainable and reminded them never to underestimate the power of collaboration. The chairperson provided an overview of EAWiBP and its role in women’s empowerment in cross-border trade and services within the EAC. In her closing remark, she appreciated the continued efforts made by the GIZ team in promoting women's economic empowerment in the East African Community.

In his remarks, Mr. Marius Weist, GIZ’s Component Lead for Organisational Development and Outreach, emphasised the importance of empowering women to achieve EAC's economic goals and foster an inclusive economy. He highlighted the GIZ efforts in promoting Women in Business in Intra-EAC Trade, including the review of a Regional Strategy for Women in Business under the EU-EAC LIFTED project.

Find more information on the LIFTED project here.

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