US to offer AGOA training for African women entrepreneurs

The US State Department is collaborating with Vital Voices Global Partnership to conduct follow-on training for the 2012 African Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) alumnae.

The event will take place in Nairobi, Kenya from October 15-19, 2012.

The workshop will focus on business strategic planning, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), export processes and documentation, and how to build a competitive business, a press statement issued by the State Department has said.

The training, funded by the ExxonMobil Foundation, will build on US Secretary Hillary Clinton’s vision of “smart power,” which embraces the full range of diplomatic tools – in this case women’s entrepreneurship – to bring people together to foster greater understanding.

The AWEP is an initiative launched by the US Department of State in July 2010. It identifies and builds networks of women entrepreneurs across sub-Saharan Africa poised to transform their societies by owning, running, and operating small and medium businesses, and by becoming voices for social advocacy in their communities.

By Ekow  Quandzie