Nairobi has been selected to host the first Organisation of Women in International Trade (OWIT) conference this October.
The conference, scheduled to take place on October 25, will bring together key players who are instrumental in expanding the space for women enterprises in global markets.
The women entrepreneurs drawn from global OWIT chapters, financial institutions, NGOs and policy makers will create dialogue on core issues that make it difficult for women entrepreneurs to access new opportunities and markets and provide suggestions and insights to address these challenges.
The conference will comprise a capacity-building workshop on targeting women entrepreneurs who are looking for markets across borders.
“We have selected Nairobi to host this year’s conference because we acknowledge Kenya’s vast potential to engage in global trade,” said Mucha Mlingo, President, OWIT Nairobi Chapter.
Trade practitioners and policy makers from around the world will also discuss best practices for shaping cross-border commerce, share in-sights for what is next for the future of trade and explore the role of women in that future.
“As a global organisation solely comprising of women in international trade, we are aware of the challenges that women in global trade have to face. This conference is an opportunity for different actors to come together and find solutions to these challenges while providing a platform to network and interact,” Mlingo added.
Key topics to be discussed include, lack of credit, access to trade-related information, limited capacity in terms of knowledge and skills, as well as limited participation and representation in trade policy-related positions.
“There is a need for more women need to participate in international trade. It is only through better policies and processes that more women will venture into the lucrative opportunities that global trade offers. OWIT’s objective is to ensure that the market is open to more women traders,” Mlingo noted.