The Women and Youth at Trade Conference

The Conference which was held on 28-30 September was one step towards the adoption of a Women and Youth protocol by the AfCFTA, aimed at making it easier for women to trade. The conference is expected to come up with practical solutions and legislation that governments and other stakeholders must take to implement the protocol, but more importantly, to ensure women can benefit from the AfCTA. The continent has the highest rate of female entrepreneurs globally with approximately 26% of female adults involved in entrepreneurial activity contributing between US$250 and US$300bn to African economic growth in 2016, equivalent to about 13% of the continent’s GDP.