COMESA Secretariat in collaboration with the Investment Climate Reform (ICR) Facility on Friday 14 February held a Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) on promoting women’s economic empowerment and fostering gender-responsive trade policies at Zambia-Zimbabwe Chirundu Border Post.
In addition to Chirundu, the Secretariat and the ICR Facility will also conduct a series of the PPD at the Zambia-Malawi border, Uganda-Kenya Busia border and the Kasumbalesa border between DR Congo and Zambia.
The workshops aim to foster meaningful dialogue between public and private sector stakeholders to identify and address challenges that women traders face at border crossings, with a focus on developing and implementing gender-responsive policies in line with COMESA’s commitment to promoting gender equality and increasing economic opportunities for women in the region.
Ms Jubilee Hamwala, Assistant Commissioner for Customs at the Chirundu border post (Zambia), opened the workshop and thanked COMESA Secretariat for the initiative. She expressed happiness that cross-border traders were represented in the dialogue, noting that their voices and views were important. She added that in facilitating trade, “We must make sure women are not left behind”.
Speaking on behalf of Zimbabwe, Mr Brian Guyo, Deputy Director responsible for Women Economic Empowerment in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development highlighted the powerful role that both the public and private sectors must play in unlocking opportunities for women’s economic empowerment.
“Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are critical in addressing the unique challenges women face in accessing resources, markets, and capital. Through dialogue and collaboration between government bodies and private entities, we can create an enabling environment that supports women entrepreneurs, helps them overcome barriers, and enhances their participation in economic activities,” Mr Guyo said.
Ms Beatrice Hamusonde, Director for Gender and Social Affairs at the COMESA Secretariat observed that women traders continue to face numerous challenges, including policy and regulatory barriers, inadequate infrastructure, and personal security concerns.
The workshop brought together 30 participants who included key border agencies, policymakers, and representatives of cross border traders’ associations and other private sector operators to discuss strategies, share best practices, and collaborate on empowering women to drive regional economic growth.
Presentations and discussions focused on COMESA’s gender-responsive policies, gender-based violence prevention and response in cross-border trade as well as risk mitigation strategies.
The ICR Facility is co-funded by the European Union (EU) under the 11th EDF with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the British Council.