{"id":34567,"date":"2025-02-04T12:10:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T12:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/all-news\/igad-launches-initiative-to-empower-women-fuel-economic-growth"},"modified":"2025-02-11T23:30:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T23:30:07","slug":"igad-launches-initiative-to-empower-women-fuel-economic-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/all-news\/igad-launches-initiative-to-empower-women-fuel-economic-growth","title":{"rendered":"IGAD Launches Initiative to Empower Women, Fuel Economic Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Ethiopia. <\/strong><\/span>The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is launching ambitious initiatives aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs and driving economic growth across Africa.<\/p>\n

Recognizing the pivotal role women play in the continent’s economy, especially within the crucial SME sector, responsible for 80 percent of African jobs, IGAD is tackling the persistent barriers that limit their potential.<\/p>\n

In a press release issued today, IGAD highlighted key challenges, such as the low intra-African trade currently fewer than 15 percent, which stifles business growth, and significant agricultural yield losses of around 30 percent, mainly due to inadequate infrastructure. These issues disproportionately affect women, who dominate the agricultural sector.<\/p>\n

IGAD\u2019s initiatives focus on improving access to finance, expanding market opportunities, boosting cross-border trade, and addressing infrastructural shortcomings.<\/p>\n

By unlocking the full potential of women entrepreneurs, IGAD aims to accelerate Africa\u2019s economic development and build a more prosperous future, as stated in the release.<\/p>\n

The press release also outlined initiatives like the IGAD Women Business Forum, which is supported by the UNECA\u2019s African Trade Policy Centre, to strengthen women-led businesses. This forum aims to improve cross-border market access, enhance financial inclusion, and foster investment opportunities.<\/p>\n

A notable example is the Cash for Community Cohesion (CCC) project in the Moyale cross-border region between Ethiopia and Kenya. With support from the German government, this initiative has empowered 193 individuals, 173 of whom are women, in the milk value chain, creating sustainable livelihoods and strengthening economic resilience for over 1,600 community members.<\/p>\n

Additionally, IGAD\u2019s Regional Trade Policy 2022-2026 addresses trade barriers, financing gaps, and structural constraints that hinder women\u2019s participation in the formal economy and through policy reforms and capacity-building programs, IGAD is fostering a stronger economic environment for women entrepreneurs, it stated.<\/p>\n

In recognition of the power of digital innovation, IGAD, in collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank, is equipping women entrepreneurs with e-commerce platforms and digital tools to scale their businesses and access new markets.<\/p>\n

Peer mentorship programs are also being developed, enabling successful women business leaders to share their expertise and support the next generation of entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

According to the press release, maximize the impact of these efforts, IGAD member states must take proactive steps and these include providing women-focused financial instruments like micro-loans and grants, improving infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses, and implementing gender-inclusive policies that promote women\u2019s participation in procurement and leadership roles.<\/p>\n

Simplifying trade regulations and supporting women-led enterprises within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will also be essential for boosting regional trade.<\/p>\n

IGAD\u2019s vision of empowering women is not only a moral imperative but a critical economic strategy for the continent\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n

With continued investment in women\u2019s economic empowerment and its member states can unlock the full potential of women entrepreneurs, ensuring an inclusive and prosperous future for Africa.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Ethiopia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Ethiopia. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is launching ambitious initiatives aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs and driving economic growth across Africa. Recognizing the pivotal role women play in the continent’s economy, especially within the crucial SME sector, responsible for 80 percent of African jobs, IGAD is tackling the persistent barriers that limit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":34566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[235],"class_list":["post-34567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-ethiopia"],"yoast_head":"\nIGAD Launches Initiative to Empower Women, Fuel Economic Growth - Ethiopia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is launching ambitious initiatives aimed at empowering women entre ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/all-news\/igad-launches-initiative-to-empower-women-fuel-economic-growth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"IGAD Launches Initiative to Empower Women, Fuel Economic Growth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is launching ambitious initiatives aimed at empowering women entre ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/all-news\/igad-launches-initiative-to-empower-women-fuel-economic-growth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ethiopia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-04T12:10:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-11T23:30:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/sites\/50\/2025\/02\/sm_1738659107.697999.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/all-news\/igad-launches-initiative-to-empower-women-fuel-economic-growth#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/all-news\/igad-launches-initiative-to-empower-women-fuel-economic-growth\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"IGAD Launches Initiative to Empower Women, Fuel Economic Growth\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-04T12:10:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-11T23:30:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/all-news\/igad-launches-initiative-to-empower-women-fuel-economic-growth\"},\"wordCount\":488,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/all-news\/igad-launches-initiative-to-empower-women-fuel-economic-growth#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/sites\/50\/2025\/02\/sm_1738659107.697999.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"ethiopia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/all-news\/igad-launches-initiative-to-empower-women-fuel-economic-growth#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/all-news\/igad-launches-initiative-to-empower-women-fuel-economic-growth\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/ethiopia\/all-news\/igad-launches-initiative-to-empower-women-fuel-economic-growth\",\"name\":\"IGAD Launches Initiative to Empower Women, Fuel Economic Growth - 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