PAN AFRICAN WOMEN IN BUSINESS CONFERENCE

FOUNDATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFRICA
"Participation Builds Unity"

"MADE IN AFRICA - FOR AFRICA"

ENDORSED THE

PAN AFRICAN WOMEN IN BUSINESS CONFERENCE
AND THE
"ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PAN AFRICAN WOMEN IN BUSINESS SECRETARIAT"
22 - 25 November 2004
Sun City - South Africa

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The call to accelerate African participation and integration in globalization is an urgent need that must be implemented by Africans. With the adoption of NEPAD, as a means of fast pacing regional integration, African countries are challenged to increase their global competence.

The 2004 report called Assessing Regional Trade Integration in Africa, published by the Economic Commission for Africa, clearly states the concerns around substantial gaps between the goals and achievements of most regional economic communities, particularly in greater internal trade, macroeconomic convergence, production, and physical connectivity. Upon this note, it is imperative to ensure that the areas of concerns are highlighted as critical and therefore, every African country and economic organization has a prerogative to ensure that Africa does accelerate its integration. The report further highlights the following areas that could contribute toward intracommunity trade:
        1. Macroeconomic convergence
        2. Transport
        3. Communication
        4. Energy
        5. Knowledge sharing
        6. Free movement of people

From the above-mentioned factors, it is important that Africa embraces participation of its women in all aspects of regional integration.

The concept of the Pan African Women in Business [PAWIB], was formed out of a need for African women to have a common voice of representation on matters pertaining to women economic empowerment. In order for the emancipation of women into mainstream economies, it is imperative that businesswomen from all sectors and regions come together to deliberate on the formation of the PAWIB and to agree to use PAWIB as a vehicle for advocacy and lobbying for women economic empowerment. PAWIB will also serve to create and foster business partnerships and networks across the region as well as be a knowledge transfer tool for women-owned businesses.

This initiative is also a call to all private and public sector women executives, entrepreneurs in all sectors and industries as well as international organizations who have a common purpose of participating in economic development and empowerment of African women in the continent.

The Pan African Women in Business conference would serve as a brainstorming four-day session where prominent, international and world renowned women would meet to discuss wide spectrum issues pertaining women’s participation in the mainstream economies of their countries as well as trans-borders. The outcome of this conference would further aim to provide a means to explore ways in which South African private and public enterprises can become involved in mutually beneficial economic ventures within the context of NEPAD, as this is a South African initiative.

PAWIB will serve as a Women Economic Empowerment voice that would represent African businesswomen in the following:
International organizations:
        1. NEPAD
        2. United Nations Economic Commission for Africa UNECA
        3. World Bank
        4. International Monetary Fund
        5. Joint Commission of Co-operation

Regional Economic Communities [RECs]
        6. Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD)
        7. Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
        8. Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
        9. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
        10. Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD)
        11. Southern African Development Community (SADC)
    12. Union du Maghreb Arabe (UMA)

Some of the outcomes of the Pan African Women In Business conference are:
        - The launch of a website called www.pawib.com which will serve as a continental portal economic forum for African women. Research that has been undertaken into this exercise has provided a broadened best practice view, of which the website will ensure to provide accurate research information and a comprehensive database on women owned companies
        - Establishment of a women’s museum that aims to celebrate achievement of women from all walks of life
        - Mould-a-young-mind concept which is a mentoring programme that requires each delegate to adopt a young girl [Matric and University level] for mentorship purposes, thus creating a legacy for coming generations

Establishment of the PAWIB Secretariat will result in each represented country nominating their Single Point of Contact [SPOC], who would ensure to constantly feed information on the PAWIB website. It is envisaged that each PAWIB representative country would then further secure funding from within their country for the management of the PAWIB office.

As a means of income generating initiatives, PAWIB would operate on a paid membership basis where members would be allocated an email address and access to PAWIB database of women-owned businesses. Sponsors and any other companies that wish to advertise in the website would be charged a certain amount upon each click of their company logo. Proceeds obtained therein would be disbursed evenly between managing PAWIB operations and funding rural women’s network forums by providing IT courses so that they can get access to the PAWIB website for networking and information sharing purposes.

For more information contact Nkele or Hloni:
+27 84 454 0900 or +27 84 454 0901 or +27 83 454 2560 email: adminoncall@mweb.co.za

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