Rinchi
TechInAfrica – The VALUE4HERConnect, Africa’s first online platform for female agricultural entrepreneurs has been launched in Nairobi. The platform helps women entrepreneurs in agriculture to form a virtual community and share their knowledge with members.
The network was launched at AWAN-Afrika’s first continental conference and VALUE4HER B2B fair. It is part of a program led by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) to support women in the agriculture sector.
Sabdiyo Dido Bashuna, Senior Program Coordinator, Value Chains, and Agribusiness at CTA said that women’s participation in agribusiness is often limited to low-profit production.
“While women are key players in agriculture, they often face challenges at the business end. With VALUE4HERConnect, they now have access to buyers, to market information and intelligence, investment and capacity building opportunities, which will ultimately help them to form strategic partnerships towards accessing global markets for increased incomes,” said Bashuna.
Included in the platform is Women2Women Community forum which allows women to interact, share and trade information, and market information like country profiles, trade policies, and market entry requirements. Moreover, on this platform, women can also get information about financing and training opportunities.
The VALUE4HER Women in Agribusiness event was organized by the African Women Agribusiness Network (AWAN) and the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) under the theme: Enhancing women inclusion in agribusiness.
The two-day event gathered women agripreneurs from 21 African countries to participate in masterclasses, hackathons, and business pitching. The event also provided them the opportunity to secure regional and global business deals.
“Today, we have this opportunity to accelerate the manufacture and intra- African trade of value-added products, moving from commodity-based economies and exports to economic diversification and high-value exports,” said Beatrice Gakuba, Executive Director of AWAN.
She added, “The demand is high.”
“We are pleased once again to partner with CTA and AWAN: VALUE4HERConnect will make the difference in how women grow and scale their businesses. The platform bridges the gap in information and data. We connect women to intra-African opportunities, to finance and to markets,” added Irene Ochem, CEO and Founder of AWIEF.
Source: africabusinesscommunities.com
