South Africa’s Maite Nkoana-Mashabane yelled for Women’s representatives in the enactment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

By Abdul Rahman Bangura–

Photo Credit: Rawpixel

NEW AFRICA BUSINESS NEWS (NABN) Freetown, Sierra Leone– Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities – Ms. Maite NkoanaMashabane, of South Africa has anticipated for women’s representatives to be listened to in the undertaking of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) treaty. She pronounced during a virtual conference on leveraging the consensus to improve women’s economic empowerment jointly coordinated by the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC), a unit of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA); and Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), a private sector organization.

Ms. Nkoana-Mashabane remarked that, women and young people stayed among those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, accentuating the desire for a gender sensitive post-COVID-19 economic recovery. On whole AfCFTA implementation, the Minister underscored the significance of expanding the advantages of the AfCFTA to
both formal and informal sector women, disability and youth enterprises. “This means that we must address issues of challenges in access to markets, provide skills development and training, provide appropriate education, increase opportunities to funding and credit, increase access and training in new technologies and provide marketing networks,” stated Ms. Nkoana-Mashabane.

It is hence significant for women’s voices to be taken onboard in the commission of the trade pact,” she noted.

The Coordinator of the ATPC, David Luke, noted the conference was taking place one month after trading commenced under the AfCFTA treaty on January 1st 2021 when the world was scuffling with healing from the worst economic crisis for nearly a century. The magnitude at which women will be equipped to take probability of chances established through the AfCFTA consensus in preference economic sectors, in e-commerce and regional value chains is pendant on the design and commission of gender-responsive policies and corresponding criteria that curtail bias toward women, while mitigating the probable risks from AfCFTA commission.

During the panel discussions, other speakers dealt with the critical relationship between gender and AfCFTA Phase II issues of investment, competition policy and scholarly equity rights, while studying actions to bolster a gender-responsive AfCFTA trade facilitation agenda.

The consequence of the symposium will be utilized to support the design of gender responsive criteria that will help to build back adequately in a posted COVID-19 economy, expediting delivery on the 2020-2030 African Women’s Decade of Financial and Economic Inclusion.

The AfCFTA improves entrepreneurship and economic appointment reliefs for women owned careers through boosted admission to new regional export needs and improved alternatives across key sectors. With the exception of Eritrea, the remaining 54 member-countries of the African Union (AU) have signed the pact ascertaining the AfCFTA among which thirty-six have upheld the commitment.

For New Africa Business News (NABN) Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports,  Africa Correspondent