Accelerating Women's Economic Inclusion: EAC, COMESA and ECOWAS chart joint plan for women's economic empowerment
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 25 April, 2025: Advancing women’s economic empowerment remains a shared priority for Africa’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs).In a demonstration of this commitment, the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened today in Arusha, Tanzania for a two-day coordination meeting on the 50 Million African Women Speak Platform (50MAWSP).
The platform – www.womenconnect.org – provides instant access to vital business information, financial services, training resources and powerful networking opportunities. With real-time features like product trend alerts, flash sales, live chats and AI-driven business tools, the platform is poised to move from simply informing to actively empowering.
The meeting brought together the three (3) RECs’ officials, development partners and stakeholders to assess the platform’s progress, review financial contributions and cost-sharing frameworks, identify areas for improvement and chart a sustainable future for the initiative.
Speaking during the opening session, the EAC Secretary General, Hon. Veronica Nduva, underscored the platform’s potential to address the region’s trade challenges through women’s inclusion.
Women make up a significant portion of our small business sector but often encounter greater barriers to scaling and exporting. If we can remove these barriers, imagine what we could achieve economically, socially and regionally,” she stated.
She emphasised that women’s empowerment remains central to the EAC’s development strategy.
“The second phase of the 50MAWSP will transform the platform into a one-stop hub. It will integrate powerful new features: e-commerce capabilities so women can trade across borders, real-time trend alerts and mentorship sessions and AI-driven credit scoring to unlock micro-loans for women who have never had formal financing,” added Hon. Nduva.
Representing COMESA, Dr. Dev Haman, Assistant Secretary General in charge of Administration and Finance, highlighted the importance of the platform in linking women to regional markets and value chains.
“Our communities thrive when women thrive. An initiative that connects and strengthens women-owned businesses is directly contributing to grassroots development and poverty reduction in East Africa,” said Dr. Haman.
Dr. Haman expressed confidence that the meeting would produce a clear roadmap for continued implementation.
On his part, Mrs. Salimata Thiam, Principal Programme Officer for Gender at ECOWAS, said that the coordination meeting reflected the desire to enhance inter-regional cooperation, share experiences and build a more inclusive and sustainable platform.
“We are looking at developing a long-term sustainability strategy based on diversified funding sources and increased support from partners and beneficiary countries,” said Mrs. Thiam.
“Integrating user feedback into the development of the platform’s functionality is also critical,” added Mrs. Thiam. Mrs. Thiam underscored the importance of strengthening project governance through effective coordination and monitoring mechanisms.
On his part, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Hon. Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, said that increasing the number of women-led businesses that trade across EAC borders would enhance intra-regional trade volumes and create a more inclusive common market.
“The 50MAWSP is a practical tool to achieve that. It helps women entrepreneurs find information and partners beyond their home country, essentially lowering the informational and networking barriers that often keep trade localised,” said Hon. Ariik.
Since its launch in 2016, the 50 Million African Women Speak Platform has been implemented in 37 countries across the three (3) RECs. To date, the platform has more than 700,000 registered users, with 43.6 percent of them being men.
The most active users are aged between 25 and 34 years, and Kenya leads in user numbers, demonstrating the platform’s broad reach and relevance.In Kenya, where the platform has the largest user base, women are already forming cross-border partnerships.
One woman began exporting organic spices to new markets. Another secured mentorship that helped her access funding. These stories are real and they are just the beginning,” said one participant at the event.
The meeting will conclude with the presentation of a long-term sustainability and resource mobilisation strategy, as well as a proposed plan of activities for joint implementation by the three Regional Economic Communities.
For more information, please contact:
Simon Peter Owaka
Senior Public Relations Officer
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 768 552087
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of eight (8) Partner States, comprising the Republic of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The Federal Republic of Somalia was admitted into the EAC bloc by the Summit of EAC Heads of State on 24th November, 2023 and became a full member on 4th March, 2024