Delegates attending the BRICS Women Business Alliance (WBA) Africa Trade Conference, have witnessed the signing of partnership agreements, which will pave the way towards building trade platforms with various countries.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube is leading the Provincial Government’s participation at the annual BRICS Women’s Business Alliance Africa Trade Conference, currently underway at Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban.
The conference, taking place from 20-21 August 2022, brings together over 500 women-led Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs), from 18 countries, including Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, amongst others.
Dube-Ncube said the conference is a significant global milestone in the struggle for women empowerment, and it strategically takes place ahead of the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) Summit to be attended by over 30 Heads of State and Government from across Africa from 22-24 August 2024.
She said they are inspired that the gathering will discuss among others, access to funding, trade, investment among BRICS nations and Africa, and facilitation of exports.
Dube-Ncube said the conference will also highlight crucial deliberations on establishing a Women Advancement Fund, aimed at providing women entrepreneurs with vital access to capital, nurturing the growth of women-led businesses, and propelling economic activity and job generation.
The Women Business Alliance will also expedite discussions on BRICS Tourism development, gendered healthcare policies, and collaborative efforts to boost economic prospects for women
“This platform will help propel women to competitively participate and fully exploit opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, a single market for goods and services.
“Similarly, the BRICS WBA Africa Trade Conference promises to be an unparalleled platform fostering collaboration among women-owned businesses and enterprises across BRICS and African nations,” Dube-Ncube said.
The two-day indaba, which was unveiled in 2020, takes place at the time which is characterised by a tectonic shift in the global world order, with the BRICS family of nations, which accounts for more than 23 percent of the global economic output, emerging as a strong counterbalance to the dominant global set up.
Welcoming hundreds of delegates on the first day of the conference on Sunday, Dube-Ncube said the problem statements for women globally may possess different nuances for different countries and world regions, but essentially they all boil to one – the total emancipation of women to enjoy equality with their male counterparts.
The summit is held under the theme: “The Role of Multi-lateral Trade and Investment in Economic Recalibration, Reconstruction and Recovery Plans”.
"The Role of Multilateral Trade and Investment in economic re-calibration, reconstruction and recovery plans is premised on collaboration and inclusivity of women in the broader development of women," Dube-Ncube said.
Source: South African Government News Agency