The Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, in charge of Moroccans living abroad, Nezha El Ouafi, underlined the need to support African immigrant women entrepreneurs.
During his intervention at a hybrid seminar, co-organized by his department and the North Africa Office of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, El Ouafi underlined the importance of diversifying partnership initiatives between the public and private sectors. and programs for the economic empowerment of African immigrant women and to promote their networking to strengthen their skills.
The Minister also noted that Africa has the highest rate of business creation by women globally with 24%, against 17% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 12% in North America and 8%. in Europe and Central Asia, adding that these women contribute 150 to 200 billion dollars in the economy of their continent.
For her part, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Vera Songwe, noted that the African Continental Free Trade Area (Zlecaf) will be a means of developing women’s entrepreneurship in the continent and will contribute to promote intra-African trade.
She also called for the strengthening of trade and investment links between African immigrant women entrepreneurs, while providing them with effective means for their empowerment in life.
Highlighting the roles that the countries of origin could play in supporting the initiatives of these women entrepreneurs, Songwe underlined, moreover, that digital offers enormous potential and plays a preponderant role in supporting their business, as well. than in their networking.
