WADHI, USAfrica Trade and Business Network, ACCI, and other partners collectively launched the MSME Retail Incubation Program in the Westfield Garden State Plaza, Newark, New Jersey, USA in April, 2023.
The Incubation Program seeks to take forward outcomes of the USAfrica 67CSW Business Expo, and expand market access opportunities for local MSMEs as well as provide the opportunity to showcase their goods and services in one of the major shopping destinations in the tri-state area.
Local products that were onboarded during the event include: agribusiness, consumer packaged goods, cosmetics, arts and crafts, and textiles and apparels.
The Incubation Scheme remains open, and interested business owners are advised to the Organization for further enquiries.
Building on the successes of the high-level roundtable dialogue on Expanding Gender-Responsive Investment Initiatives for Economic Sustainability held in the Nigerian Permanent Mission House, New York, on the 20th of June, 2022, USAfrica Trade & Business Network and it’s expo planning committee extended an invitation to WADHI and our network of WMSMEs to the 4th Edition of the USAfrica Business Expo Week.
The Expo held physically and virtually from 12th-22nd September, 2022, at the U.N. Headquarters, New York City. With the theme: Facilitating Export-Import Opportunity for US-Africa MSMEs for Sustainable Development Under the margins of the 77UNGA, the event provided a platform for off-takers and investors to connect with indigenous businesses looking to sell into retail stores and e-commerce platforms in the United States. It also sought to ensure maximum participation of MSMEs groups, Women’s networks, Governments, Agencies, Businesses, and organizations.
Key Expo activities included: AFCTA: Unlocking Africa’s Potential in The Post Covid-19 Era, Doing Business in Africa Country Spotlight Series, One-on-One International Business Consulting for MSMEs, US Trade & Investment Policies in Africa (AGOA and Prosper Africa), a physical/virtual side exhibition, and a visit to the New Jersey State Mall.
Sights from the USAfrica Trade Business Expo- 12th-22nd September, 2022
As a follow-up to activities in preparation for the Global Gender Investment Summit under the WADHI/EEFP Multi-Stakeholder Gender and Economic Growth Series, a high level roundtable dialogue on Expanding Gender Responsive Investment Initiatives for Economic Sustainability was held in the Nigerian Permanent Mission House, New York on the 20th of June, 2022.
In attendance virtually and in-person were participants drawn from the city of New York, Asia, the Nigerian Permanent Mission NY, CEDAW State Parties, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and various women groups.
The event was accompanied by a side exhibition within the Permanent Mission and was held to facilitate engagement with ministries and key partners in the economic empowerment drive for Nigerian and African women. The aim was to demonstrate affordable indigenous products, commodities, and innovation (including the Kowgo Application supported by the Herbert H. Humphrey Alumni Grant and the resulting Arahah market) realized through multi-sectoral initiatives.
The Roundtable also sought to explore business partnership opportunities that could leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) to boost manufacturing, agriculture, technology, ecommerce, trade and export hereby, fulfilling the aspirations of the Buenos Aires Declaration of 2017.
“The Nigerian Women have called on the National and State Houses of Assembly to set in motion modalities to domesticate the Buenos Aires Declaration to ensuring that the Legislative Agenda and African Continental Free Trade Agreement AfCFTA provide economic growth opportunities for all regardless of gender.
The domestication, they said, would enable women to benefit from the projected N75bn annual retail market and other business prospects it offers.
The demand among other significant issues were discussed during the “Multi-stakeholder Policy Dialogue Realizing the Buenos Aires Declaration: Policy and Legislative Reforms for Inclusive African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation in Nigeria,” which took place on Monday in Abuja.
They also demanded for the review of existing laws to provide clearer legal framework for the public and private sectors to promote the UN Global Compact Women Empowerment Principles, WEPs, especially relating to gender and procurement in Nigeria.
They further asked the government institutions and regulatory agencies to work together and synergize to reduce double burden on MSMEs and harness the productivity of women who constitute over 65% of the informal sector across value chains.
They said government and financial institutions should end the rhetoric on financial inclusion for women by simplifying and concretizing women’s access to financing especially for WMSMEs as women have accessed less than 12% of financial credit due to bureaucratic and other barriers.
They appealed to relevant MDAs to provide practical steps and guidelines to eliminate unfriendly visa processes, reduce GBV and other forms of exploitation that impedes trade and movement of goods and facilitate access to foreign markets for WMSMEs.
On her part, the Convener of Women Arise Development and Humanitarian Initiative WADHI, Mrs. Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia advocated for the creation and implementation of policies and legal frameworks that will expand women’s opportunities and lead to teir economic empowerment at the national and regional levels.
According to her, “The reasons why we are here is because there are gaps in our legislations. There are gaps in our policies. And we cannot do much when the legal framework is weak neither can we do much when the policies are not right.
“We are gathered here today to ask questions: Why are those policies not working for women? What do we need to do to make those policies work better?
“70% of workers in health and social sectors are women. But in the age of artificial intelligence; age of digital economy, we have robotics now. They are preparing robots to take over the work of women who are care givers.
“If that’s what’s in the oven, how are the laws protecting the women? How can we push the change of the transition from this kind of the economy so that women do not suffer?”
Speaking earlier, the Director-General of National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Sulaiman said the Buenos Aires declaration (2017) on women, trade and economic empowerment committed its signatories to collaborate on making trade and development policies more gender-responsive.
Sulaiman added that the legislatures had an important role to play in ensuring the implementation of those agreements and also in addressing challenges that women and women-led businesses, faced in trade agreements, noting that gender mainstreaming in free trade agreements was becoming an increasingly common practice.
Also, while declaring the event open, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan said that women have an important role to play in trade.
Lawan, who was represented by Sen. Sa’idu Alkali (APC-Gombe), called for more support for women engaged in various trades.”
WADHi conducted the first of the KOWGO financial and digital connectivity training for 120 women and men under the New Era of Progressive Development People’s Initiative (NEPDPI) in Bwari Area Council Abuja with a view to helping them use innovative technology to upscale their small scale businesses. The audience included farmers, tailors, petty traders and artisans.
