The International Trade Centre (ITC) has revealed that SheTrades Zambia Project generated an average value of USD 3.4m sales in the one and half years of the pilot project from women led local businesses.
Speaking during the SheTrades Zambia Final Stakeholder Meeting on May 18th 2021, Vanessa Erogbogbo Chief of Sustainable and Inclusive Value Chains at ITC, disclosed that the SheTrades Women in Zambia Project made sales of over USD 3 million and engaged more than 100 new employees in their businesses.
Ms. Erogbogbo was elated that the results of the SheTrades Zambia pilot project were tangible and incredible.
She looked forward to continued collaboration with the various stakeholders and the women entrepreneurs under the umbrella of SheTrades.
Meanwhile, Zambia Development Agency Director General Mukula Makasa paid special tribute to the Enhanced Integrated Framework who provided the much needed financial assistance that made it possible to roll out the SheTrades Project.
Mr. Makasa further applauded Government through the Ministry of Commence Trade and Industry for providing the enabling environment and in engaging key multilateral institutions such as the ITC and EIF.
“We also applaud the Women Non-Governmental Organisations such as the Zambia Federation of Women In Business (ZAFWIB) and others who provided us with access to their members in ensuring that this project was inclusive,” he said.
Mr. Makasa said he was aware that the pilot phase of the SheTrades Project, all things being equal should naturally progress into a SheTrades Hub that entails scaling up and widening the scope and membership.
He however, noted that for a SheTrades Hub to materialise, it required substantial human and financial resources.
“I am confident that though this is the case, we shall find partners who are willing to empower a number of Zambian women by coming on board as financial partners in creating a SheTrades Hub in Zambia. In finding these partners, we appeal to our all-weather existing partners the ITC and EIF to work with us in actualising the SheTrades Hub in Zambia,” Mr. Makasa said.
And speaking during the same meeting, Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry (MCTI) Permanent Secretary Mushuma Mulenga in a speech read on his behalf by MCTI Director of Planning Mr. Paul Lupunga noted that the SheTrades Project presented many opportunities and urged the women led businesses to take advantage of the Government policies in place and the SheTrades developed Linkages to financiers, courier services and other related line private sector players.
Mr. Mulenga implored the women businesses to make good use of the acquired skills delivered by the project through capacity building, developing Market linkages , and Business to Business linkages which would subsequently contribute to extensive value chain development and increase not only domestic earnings for Zambia, but export earnings as well.
The SheTrades Project was being implemented in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Zambia, the International Trade Centre, Enhanced Integrated Framework and the Zambia Development Agency.
