‘Women-led business power U.S. economy with $3 trillion output’

Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the United States and Secretary General of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Ambassadors group, Ambassador Sidique Abou-Bakarr Wai, yesterday, highlighted the important economical interaction of women-led businesses successful the U.S, which generated $3 trillion successful output.

In an initiative, helium noted that planetary concern leaders launched the enactment of a planetary task unit aimed astatine empowering 1 cardinal women successful the commercialized industry.

Abou-Bakarr, successful a statement, expressed his admiration for the planetary enactment of women and referenced the World Bank’s acknowledgment that pistillate entrepreneurs lend importantly to planetary economical maturation and poorness reduction.

He said: “As Secretary General of ECOWAS Ambassador’s Group successful the United States and a starring advocator for effectual diaspora engagement and concern with women, I bash congratulate the unthinkable enactment that women of substance and favoritism are making crossed the globe to guarantee the information of women astatine the decision-making arena done their 1 cardinal women campaign.”

He referenced the World Bank’s acknowledgment that pistillate entrepreneurs lend importantly to planetary economical maturation and poorness reduction, adding that, “Women-led businesses successful the U.S. unsocial lend astir $3 trillion to the system and make 23 cardinal jobs. Their effectual commercialized information drives economical prosperity globally.

“The Connecting One Million Women Who Trade (CWT) is simply a backstage assemblage inaugural to link and empower 1 cardinal women entrepreneurs, who trade. CWT volition catalyze organizations and individuals who put successful women progressive successful commercialized starting successful Africa, the Americas, and the Caribbean.

“Through our ecosystem, we volition prosecute a minimum of 5,000 concern associations and cooperatives that are connected to a minimum of 200 women each to scope 1 million.”

In his remarks, the President and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, Charles DeBow, said, “I americium honored to basal alongside planetary leaders successful this groundbreaking initiative. Connecting One Million Women successful Trade is not conscionable astir expanding numbers: it is astir unlocking women’s imaginable crossed the globe.

“By breaking down barriers and providing entree to captious resources, we are paving the mode for a much inclusive and prosperous planetary economy. This inaugural volition empower women to enactment successful planetary commercialized and thrive arsenic leaders successful the industry.”

The CWT initiative, supported by Blueprint, Oakwood Green Africa, and NBCC, aims to summation the percent of women-owned businesses progressive successful commercialized from 25 per cent to 40 per cent implicit 3 to 5 years. NBCC and CWT volition formalize their committedness done a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to concretise their committedness to the occurrence of the Initiative.

Also speaking, an planetary nationalist affairs strategist and a psychologist, Dr Ky Dele, said: “CWT volition service arsenic a clearinghouse ecosystem for grassroots-to-grass tops incorporating each indispensable networks and resources for women who are acceptable to commercialized globally, preparing to commercialized globally and institutions that enactment women successful trade.

“These groups and individuals volition grow opportunities and heighten the capableness for women who commercialized by breaking down barriers for each women to link and collaborate for trade.”

The erstwhile Ghanaian President, John Mahama, emphasised the priorities of women successful commercialized and the value of the CWT initiative.

Mahama recalled that successful April 2024, CWT presented its archetypal series, “The Future of Finance & Trade successful Africa 1.0,” successful concern with The George Washington University and the World Bank Group successful Washington D.C. The lawsuit marked a pivotal infinitesimal successful addressing the continent’s fiscal and commercialized landscapes.