APA – Rabat (Morocco) The Private Sector Coalition for African Women Entrepreneurs was launched in Marrakech on Wednesday, on the initiative of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and in partnership with UN Women.
Set up on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which are being held in Marrakech, the coalition aims to mobilise support for women entrepreneurs, particularly in the private sector, which is a key pillar of socio-economic development in Africa.
In particular, the initiative aims to increase the representation of women and their access to leadership positions in the business world, to empower businesswomen, to promote their businesses, and to facilitate their participation in global value chains and their access to international markets.
According to the Moroccan Minister for the Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah, women entrepreneurs in Africa play an important economic and social role, welcoming this initiative which aims to federate the efforts of African women to empower them economically and give them access to leadership positions.
In this context, she called for efforts to be redoubled and to work together to provide women with the necessary resources and means to strengthen their contribution to development.
The coalition’s chair, Nabila Freidji, said that the launch of this initiative in Marrakech was particularly symbolic because it was the first time that the Annual Meetings of the WB and the IMF were being held in Morocco.
Ms Freidji, who is also Morocco’s ambassador to Norway and Iceland, explained that the Private Sector Coalition for African Women Entrepreneurs is much more than an initiative, but a commitment by African women to progress and facilitate growth on their continent.
This coalition, she continued, is a call for action and measures to consolidate the commitment of the private sector and international institutions to promoting women’s entrepreneurship in Africa, noting that the main objective is to support women so that they can access important sectors such as technology, industry and energy.
The African Union Commission’s Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security, Bineta Diop of Senegal, welcomed the launch of the coalition on the sidelines of the WB and IMF Annual Meetings.
Ms. Diop, who is also a co-organiser of the AWLN, said that the coalition was a platform for women leaders and entrepreneurs to promote their access to leadership positions and to assist women wishing to set up their own businesses.
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