Economic Development : Women’s Potential Emphasized

The minister of Women's Empowerment and the Family, Marie Therese Abana Ondoa, has reiterated women's role in the economic development of the Country. The minister was speaking in Douala on July 18 during a two-day workshop on the theme “Maximise Zlecaf's Potential in Central Africa by Promoting Inclusivity and Gender Equality in Regional Value Chains”. The workshop organized by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in partnership with ECCAS with sponsorship from UN women, was aimed at presenting the results and recommendations of the reports on gender and trade prepared by the BSR-AC in collaboration with ECCAS.
The research documents highlight gender issues in trade in Central Africa, identifying challenges and opportunities for greater participation of women, young people and other vulnerable groups in regional value chains.
Against this backdrop, the minister highlighted that it was clear that African countries were determined to accelerate women's economic growth as it is seen in the different policies that have been put in place to this effect. She said in 2021 Cameroon supported AfCFTA in ensuring the economic development of Women. She emphasized that when women are economically stable they take their destiny in their hands which makes the family stable. Thus she regretted that women are mostly in the informal sector and they end up having no gains.  “Women work very hard and produce and sell at very low cost and in return the products are sold at very high prices”. She also added that it was important for women to be trained on how to transform the different products they produce. She hope that AfCFTA will change the story and put women at the forefront of development projects in Africa. 
The Interim Resident Coordinator for Cameroon, Mr. Siaka Coulibaly, revealed that the workshop will permit p...