Nairobi to Host 18th Women’s Conference on International Trade

Nairobi has been selected to host the first Organisation of Women in International Trade (OWIT) conference scheduled to take place on October 25.
The women entrepreneurs drawn from global OWIT chapters, financial institutions, NGOs and policy makers will create dialogue on issues that make it difficult for women entrepreneurs to access new opportunities and markets and provide suggestions and insights to address these challenges.

The 18th chapter of Organisation of Women in International Trade (OWIT) Conference themed “Bridging The Gap; Empowering Businesses’ 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 policymakers from around the world will also discuss best practices for shaping cross-border commerce, share insights 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.

Established in 1989, the Organisation of Women in International Trade (OWIT) is a global organisation of women in international trade and business with over 2000 international members impacting hundreds of millions of global trade and business annually.