New regional body to enhance trade

A new platform aimed at promoting women’s participation in the East African Community’s trade and integration process is set to be launched on Thursday next week.The Secretary General of the East Africa Community (EAC), Ambassador, Dr. Richard Sezibera is expected to officiate at the launch of the East African Women in Business Platform (EAWiBP) in Arusha.EAWiBP was initiated in 2011 by the East African Business Council (EABC) with the support of TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) with a view of putting in place mechanisms to address challenges faced by women-owned businesses within the region. Other reasons for the initiation of the regional platform were to increase effective participation of women in business in the EAC integration process, improve on the economic contribution of women in business in EAC partner states as well as increasing progression of women-owned enterprises in the EAC from informal to formal status.However, though women are urged to participate in regional integration, they have always complained about lack of support from the member countries.Drawing its mandate from the Treaty for the Establishment of East African Community, particularly Article 121 and 122, the platform will be guided by the vision of becoming a women’s centre of excellence for intra and extra-EAC trade. A survey carried out last year in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt and Zambia indicated that most women in the region were marginalized in doing business, a factor hampering the development of women.“We are confined to petty trade because we are not aware of trade agreements, laws and policies concerning cross-border trade. We call on government to train us in policies,” said Crescence Mukantabana, one of the participants during the launch of the survey last week.Over 30 participants are expected to attend the event in Arusha, including government officials and businesswomen from the five EAC partner states, development partners and other stakeholders.The platform’s steering committee comprises of representatives from national associations, top business women’s organizations, cross-border traders from each of the EAC partner states, a media association and a regional civil society organisation.