About Pan African Business Women’s Association
Context
The signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement (AfCFTA) at the March 2018 10th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) was a tremendous milestone in the pursuit of integrated and inclusive economic growth in Africa.
AU Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
For the AfCFTA to be completely successful, economic growth of Africa must be tangible. Such growth can only be possible if inequality in all it’s forms, is addressed. One of the most critical inequalities that needs strategic focus, is gender inequality,
especially from the perspective of economic growth.
It is therefore critical from the onset to drive a focused agenda what the AfCFTA means for women in terms of their participation in cross- border trade, value chains and public procurement; the potential these hold for women; and the contributions women can make in fostering the aim and objectives of the AfCFTA.
