Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Beijing Hall of the Presidency of the Republic hosted, on the afternoon of Monday, July 31, a Networking meeting to celebrate the African Women’s Day. The event, an initiative of Ecobank Cabo Verde, was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Ecobank and OM Crédito, which will allow the training of 100 women business leaders, within the framework of the Ellevar programme. This program aims at the economic empowerment of women.
The Beijing Hall of the Presidency of the Republic hosted, yesterday afternoon, an event to mark the African Women’s Day. Entitled “African Women’s Day by ELLEVAR”, this initiative came from Ecobank Cabo Verde and brought together dozens of women, businesswomen and entrepreneurs from different areas.
Music, dance, fashion show, exhibition and tasting of African food were the cultural activities that marked the event, which was attended by the first lady of Cape Verde, Débora Katiza Carvalho and the Managing Director of Ecobank, Aminata Nana Sakho .
In a statement to the press, Edna Moreira, director of the “Customer Experience” area at Ecobank, explained that this initiative falls within the scope of the ELLEVAR Programme, designed for companies led or managed by women; companies with a high percentage of female directors or employees, as well as those that manufacture products for women.
Reflect the challenge of women at an economic level
On the occasion, Edna Moreira highlighted that Ecobank has prioritized “the woman at the center” of its projects and programs and that this initiative goes against that mission aimed at the universe of female empowerment.
“For us it is important to celebrate, to pay homage to African women, but also to bring up reflections and issues that affect the female world, especially what challenges women economically”.
The “African Women’s Day by ELLEVAR” initiative featured an opening conference given by the First Lady of Cape Verde, Débora Katiza Carvalho, who addressed the theme “The Role of Women in the Development of the African Continent”. It dealt particularly with the contribution of women in the economic development of African countries.
Challenges and gains of African women, by Débora Carvalho
In her speech, the First Lady spoke about the challenges facing African women, namely access to education, marriage and early pregnancy and financial empowerment, among others.
Particularly with regard to the economy, he recalled that 70% of the work carried out by African women is not formal work, which indicates that they are “outside the formal system of the economy”.
Débora Carvalho, however, also underlined the gains achieved, especially with regard to legal achievements, women’s participation in politics and in decision-making positions.
“All of this we must celebrate today, but without forgetting the challenges, many of which are hidden”.
Memorandum from Ecobank and OM Credit
In addition to this conference, the Ecobank Cabo Verde Networking meeting was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Ecobank and OM Crédito, which will enable the training of 100 women business leaders, within the framework of the Ellevar programme, for the economic empowerment of women.
The agreement was initialed between the administrator of Ecobank Cabo Verde, Aminata Nana Sakho and the president of OMCV, Eloisa Cardoso.
In her speech, Aminata Sakho said that OM Crédito, among other Cape Verdean institutions, allows for “collaboration” between the different actors in the process, so that together they can be “more efficient in empowering Cape Verdean women”.
Financial inclusion of women as a goal for the country’s development
“In Cape Verde, women represent 50% of the population and many of them own small businesses. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) represent 97% of businesses and women manage about a third of registered companies”, he advanced.
In this context, he defended the importance of women’s financial inclusion for the country’s sustainable development process.
“ The financial inclusion of women is a fundamental goal for the development of the country. Ecobank is fully engaged in empowering these women and businesses with solutions tailored to their needs through the ELLEVAR program,” she added.
It should be noted that the event “Day of the African Woman by ELLEVAR” also featured the presentation of three testimonies of women who have already benefited from Ecobank’s ELLEVAR program, towards women’s empowerment.
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