Enterprise Development And Poverty Eradication For Women In West Africa
5 August 2004
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| "It is important to strengthen partnerships to support efforts...in West Africa" |
The 'Workshop on Strategy for West Africa on Poverty Reduction, Gender and Enterprise Development' is focused on enhancing partnerships among civil society, the government and institutions. It brings together more than 70 representatives from government ministries involved in economic planning, finance, trade and industry, and women's affairs. Experts in micro-enterprise development, commerce, civil society and regional development organisations are also among the delegates.
The workshop is co-hosted with the Economic Commission for Africa, the Secretariat of the Economic Community of West African States, the Secretariat of the Mano River Union, and the Government of Ghana.
Ghana's Minister for Women and Children's Affairs, Gladys Asmah, who opened the workshop said: "Total development and growth only come about when women are economically empowered, educated and able to look after themselves and their families. The concepts of democracy, good governance and gender mainstreaming mean nothing to poor women. Evidence has indicated that gender equity policies and investing in women bring in more development dividends and prosperity."
"It is important to strengthen partnerships to support efforts at poverty reduction, gender and enterprise development in West Africa, particularly those affected by war and conflict. The workshop will provide the platform for dialogue and collaboration," said Professor Victor Ayeni, Director of GIDD.
"Hopefully, it will also enable the development of institutional processes to implement strategies, plans and programmes. We would like to train national and regional co-ordinators to initiate income-generating activities among women in West Africa. It is useful for the delegates to improve their co-ordinating and networking to establish institutional linkages to promote enterprise development.
"There is a need to develop local and regional capacity and expertise in various areas of enterprise development, especially for women, as this is one avenue for self-employment and income generation, which translates into economic empowerment and poverty reduction among individuals and communities."
Professor Ayeni stated that in addition to agribusiness, women entrepreneurs will benefit from training in engineering, design, financing, packaging, branding and marketing. He pointed out that the workshop will provide opportunities for participants to develop partnerships and synergies, and learn more from each other on the effective utilisation of skills and resources.
Nancy Spence, Director of STPD, emphasised women must be given opportunities for advancement in the age of globalisation and trade liberalisation, which have thrown open the doors to economic growth and poverty eradication. But a globalised world has brought on critical challenges like the loss of livelihood and employment for women, who are particularly vulnerable.
Ms Spence said the devastating HIV/AIDS pandemic, conflicts and unrests in West Africa have had a detrimental effect on socio-economic development, reflected in the low economic growth in countries in that region. She noted: "Gender inequality causes and exacerbates the impact of poverty on women and their families and communities. Women tend to be engaged in low paying jobs and work largely in the informal sector and in subsistence agriculture. We must address this issue and this workshop is one way of doing so."
She also stressed the importance of harvesting the potential of women in the fields of agribusiness and technology to promote greater entrepreneurship and dynamism. Ms Spence said: "Women can contribute to human capital and regional economic integration. But first, they have to be given the opportunities to start small and medium-scale enterprises before developing into larger businesses. The Commonwealth Secretariat and its development partners are helping them along through a workshop where they can exchange ideas and network."
Elizabeth Villars, past President of the Association of Ghana Industries, and Chief Executive Officer of a listed company in Accra, Ghana, said: "Women entrepreneurs must not be afraid to start small but learn to think big and dream big in order to grow."
CNIS - the Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 195 4 August 2004
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