Project Steering Committee appreciates level of implementation

With reference to Articles II and VI of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and in accordance with recommendations of the 1st Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting that was held in ECOWAS on the 3rd to 4th of December 2018, in Saly-Mbour, Republic of Senegal, the East African Community hosted the 2nd Steering Committee meeting on the 5th and 6th of December, 2019 in Mwanza-Tanzania. The objectives of the meeting included but not limited to reviewing the overall progress of the implementation of the 50 Million Project and the status of implementation of the recommendations of the 1st Meeting of the Steering Committee; showcasing and unveiling the Platform to the PSC members for their feedback and ideas for improvement; as well as planning for the sustainability of the Platform; Ms. Mary Makoffu, the EAC Director for Social Sectors, on behalf of the EAC Deputy General Secretary in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, opened the meeting on 5th December 2019. Ms. Makoffu extended a warm welcome to the delegations from COMESA, ECOWAS and EAC to Mwanza in the United Republic of Tanzania and thanked them for honoring EAC’s invitation. She commended the continuous collaboration between the implementing Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in the implementation of the Project and thanked the AfDB for its continued support. Ms. Makoffu informed the meeting about the global platform launch that took place during the Gender Global Summit in Kigali Rwanda from 25th to 27th November 2019. She expressed the need for the Steering Committee to take time and reflect on the feedback that was raised by platform launch attendants. Dr. Siga Fatima Jagne, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender, on behalf of His Excellency, Mr. Jean Claude Kassi Brou, President of the ECOWAS Commission, officially opened the Steering Committee meeting by expressing her gratitude to the AfDB for its funding of the project. She noted that the 2nd Steering Committee was an opportunity to take stock of the work that has been done and determine the course for the initiative going forward. She further observed that after the 50MAWSP launch, the platform was no longer only the property of RECs, but that of women entrepreneurs on the continent. Dr. Jagne concluded her remarks by challenging the delegates to provide recommendations for the sustainability of the platform after the project’s planned end in 2020 by analyzing the recurrent questions and requests (feedback) from the beneficiaries, in particular regarding the issue of languages and others. She also urged them to identify partnership opportunities and linkages with other ongoing projects and programmes, among other areas of reflection. On his part, the COMESA Assistant Secretary General in charge of Programmes, Amb. Kipyego Cheluget thanked the East African Community for hosting the meeting and for the warm hospitality extended to delegations of COMESA and ECOWAS. Amb. Cheluget expressed his gratitude to the Steering Committee members for their leadership and commitment which had ensured the successful implementation of the project up to this point. He further affirmed that programs like 50 Million African Women Speak will ensure that regional integration is meaningful to ordinary people across the continent. The Steering Committee meeting was attended by delegates drawn from secretariats of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) as well as institutions working with women entrepreneurs in the respective RECs. The institutions included Federation of National Associations of Women in Business in Eastern and Southern Africa (FEMCOM) and the East African Women in Business Platform (EAWiBP).