ImpactHER Africa, Africa’s foremost non-governmental organisation dedicated to empowering female business owners has scaled up women-led economic transformation for entrepreneurs across Africa with a momentous gathering of over 5000 female business owners drawn from 58 countries who converged on Abuja to discuss how they can become major players in the 5 trillion global green economy.
The gathering was the 2nd edition of the Global African Women Sustainability Conference with the theme: “Rethink, Reinvest, Regenerate: Women Entrepreneurs As Architects of Global Africa’s Sustainable Future which had in attendance over 10 African ministers, 20 African governments, US mayoral leadership, Latin America government representation, Caribbean government delegations, The African Development Bank, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the African Export-Import Bank.
According to Efe Ukala, Founder, ImpactHER Africa, the global green economy is now worth more than 5 trillion dollars a year and is on track to reach 7 trillion by 2030 and it is growing twice as fast as conventional industries. The global African women who already farm regeneratively, build with waste, weave with eco-dyes, and power villages with the sun should be part of the market, not outside it. “Consumers around the world are now willing to pay nearly 10 percent for sustainably produced goods- 10% more. The premium is real and that tells us there is a market. Furthermore, an estimated 70% percent of informal cross-border trade in Africa is conducted by women. This brings us to the question- why are our women stuck in the informal economy?”, she mentioned.
Ukala noted that “Certifications” have posed a barrier to African women’s involvement in global trade. “ The UN Women itself names the barrier: limited capacity to comply with regulatory requirements, with safety standards, with quality standards. Our women have the products. They do not have the paperwork. They have the practice- They do not have the proof. They have the sustainability- they do not have the certificate that lets the world see it. This is the gap the sustainability conference seeks to close. One of the sessions in this conference extensively dealt with “Sustainable Business Foundations” – certifications, standards, and start-up rules. Our women deserve an ISO certification, an export licence and a global buyer for her products”, she explains.
The Ministers from Nigeria, Chad, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire, Zambia, Gabon, who were active participants in the conference, all pledged to strengthen access to female entrepreneurs in their various countries as they hold the golden torch to Africa’s collective success.
