SheTrades initiative in Egypt to support women entrepreneurs

CAIRO – 27 October 2017: The SheTrades initiative is announced to be implemented in Egypt to support and empower women entrepreneurs, according to a statement by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

SheTrades, launched worldwide by the International Trade Center (ITC), is an online platform that connects women entrepreneurs to buyers, sellers, investors and partners. It aims to connect one million women entrepreneurs to market by 2020.

The announcement to implement the initiative in Egypt came during a meeting between the General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC) and the International Trade Center (ITC) in Hungary. Both sides agreed on implementing the initiative to provide Egyptian women entrepreneurs with a network to connect to markets and potential suppliers.

SheTrades also enables corporations to meet and identify women-owned supply companies of goods and services, according to the ITC website. It has a mobile application through which women are able to share information about their companies.

Held in Budapest, the GOEIC and ITC meeting also discussed ways of enhancing joint cooperation in the field of reforming export and promotional policies, integrating women into the global trade system and encouraging entrepreneurship.

GOEIC head Sherine el-Shorbagy presented the organization’s vision on developing leading brands and urged for adopting a national campaign to promote products, considering exporting as “a national goal that the government, with all its agencies, is seeking to achieve during the coming period.”

For her part, ITC’s executive director, Arancha González, stressed the importance of accelerating the development process to take advantage of the potentials of the Egyptian economy and to move forward to diversify exports, target new markets, and give priority to changes in markets and global opportunities, such as Halal Market, which is a large market that should be utilized by Egyptian industries.

González noted that ITC welcomes providing its expertise to support institutional development and the strategic planning of GOEIC.

She also invited GOEIC’s executive chairman to attend the international conference of export agencies scheduled to be held in Paris.