Middle East and North Africa

Raising Moroccan women’s ability to compete

A young woman picking tomatoes

Shutterstock

SheTrades Morocco helps business women boost their export capacity in the processed foods sector by producing value-added products in line with market requirements, and linking them with targeted buyers through networking and business linkage events.

We provide key information on quality control and management, conditioning, packaging, labeling, pricing, as well as improved business management and marketing skills.

Twenty-five selected Moroccan women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) will also learn to design and implement new marketing strategies to effectively position their products in local, regional and international markets.

As a result, the project will promote gender equality, improve community livelihoods and help women-owned SMEs to benefit from higher incomes, as well as strengthen and grow their businesses.

Enhancing capacity of support institutions

Shutterstock

The project also aims to reinforce Morocco’s Investment and Trade Agency (AMDIE), the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Morocco (AFEM), the National Federation of Agribusiness (FENAGRI) and the Moroccan Association of Exporters (ASMEX).

These institutions will be able to upgrade their technical skills and know-how to provide better, effective and efficient business services to Moroccan small women-owned businesses along the value chain requirements, including help in accessing finance, and business generation.

Through e-learning, classroom, and peer-to-peer learning, SheTrades Morocco will increase the capacity of these institutions to identify challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, specific steps they can take to build the competitiveness of women entrepreneurs, and to measure results of their activities.

Shutterstock

Women economic empowerment in the handicraft sector.

The International Trade Centre’s flagship initiative on women and trade, SheTrades, has launched a new chapter in Egypt to empower and boost the competitiveness of women-owned micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the handicraft sector.

The project’s overarching objective is women’s economic empowerment as part of the country’s inclusive and sustainable development and economic growth.

The project will provide women-led small businesses with trainings on production, packaging, logistics, trade information, quality management, and sector-specific marketing and sales.

Fifty targeted women-owned small businesses will benefit from adopting best export practices and connecting with export markets and buyers, translating into increased resources and growth of their businesses.

Assisting trade support institutions to enhance services to women

Shutterstock

To ensure strong support for women entrepreneurs entering new markets, the project will also provide advisory services, trainings and technical guidance to the Export Development Authority of Egypt and selected trade support institutions to establish more effective trade institutional frameworks for women-owned businesses.

SheTrades Egypt will:

• Train trade support institutions on gender and how to mainstream gender in their institutions
• Help institutions understand the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs and how to build up their capacity to trade
• Provide support on trade information services, market development and quality management
• Advise buyers on how to better engage with women entrepreneurs, providing online and offline training, best practices and helping them commit to sourcing goods and services from participating women entrepreneurs
• Support select trade institutions who take a lead role in mobilizing buyers and ensure effective business-to-business links