ECOWAS, NEPAD sign €1m agreement to boost rural women entrepreneurs in Africa

ECOWAS and NEPAD have signed an agreement worth €1 million for the empowerment of Africa’s rural women entrepreneurs.

The pact was signed by the ECOWAS President, Ambassador Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, and the Executive Secretary of the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency, Dr.Ibrahim Assane Mayaki on July 12, July 2012 in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.

A statement issued by ECOWAS said the grant will provide funds for the Business Incubator for African Women Entrepreneurs (BIAWE) project, which nurtures the business ventures of rural African women operating primarily in the area of agriculture.

The project will also provide a guarantee fund for rural women entrepreneurs in Africa to receive support from banks and financial institutions in the form of loans, processing of agricultural produce and market access for the sale of the produce, the regional bloc said.

By Ekow Quandzie