Center for Accelerated Women's Economic Empowerment

CAWEE Team Took Part at the UNCDF & FLIPFI Workshop CAWEE team took part at the workshop on Gender Equity in Digital Financial Inclusion (DFI) organized by United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and Fletcher School Leadership Program for Financial Inclusion (FLIPFI). The workshop was organized on July 25th, 2024 at the Haile Grand Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where 22 participants (6 men and 16 women) took part. Participants of this workshop were representatives from concerned Government offices, NGOs and Financial Institutions . The workshop focused on applying FLIPFI’s 8 Question Methods for policy making that focuses on identifying problems and developing problem tree. During the workshop group discussions were organized focusing on specific topics of - Digital Literacy & Awareness, Policy Advocacy Strategy, Social Norms & Collaboration with Multi-Sector Players. The workshop was very instrumental in finding out the problems and mapping out the system of the causes. #uncdf #financialinclusion #womensfinancialinclusion #wdfi #FLPIP

CAWEE’s Executive Director Took Part at WYFEI Technical Meeting The AU Women & Youth Financial & Economic Inclusion (#WYFEI) initiative technical meeting, organized by the Women, Gender & Youth Directorate (#WGYD) of the AUC took place in Accra, Ghana, July 16-17, 2024. The WYFEI 2030 Initiative is designed to unlock USD100 Billion for at least 10 million women and youth by 2030, leveraging and building on existing initiatives and financial instruments both in the public and the private sector. This technical meeting convened relevant stakeholders to promote financial & economic inclusion of African women & youth to contribute to the WYFEI Secretariat’s continental financial inclusion landscape analysis & the call to action for the implementation of the WYFEI 2030 initiative. Invited by WGYD of the AUC, CAWEE’s Executive Director was one of the speakers at the panel that discussed on: “Understanding Economic & Financial Inclusion in Africa''. The panel was a great opportunity to share CAWEE’s best practices and Enat Bank’s experiences. #development #AUC #WYFEI #2030Agenda #initiative #financialinclusion

CAWEE Joined GIZ’s Gender Equality Study Roundtable Discussion GIZ Ethiopia Office conducted study to critically discuss the German Feminist Development Cooperation Policy, to assess the needs of women and marginalized groups in Ethiopia. Roundtable discussion was organized, July 4, 2024, to discuss the gender equality study findings, where CAWEE Team had the opportunity to take part. The presentation of the study findings emphasized that, women were not fully exercising their power in the areas of Rights, Resources and Representations (the 3Rs). It also underscored the importance of prioritizing the inclusion of women with disabilities and promoting meaningful male engagement through positive masculinity. The event was highly engaging where participants were engaged in group discussions reflecting their opinions and inputs, in adding value to the study conducted. #ethiopianyouthentrepreneurs #germanfeminist #development #geminist #discussion Almaz Giziew

CAWEE Staff Took Part at Zelela 10 At the 10th round Zelela event that focused on the theme “Ease of Doing Business in Ethiopia (EoDB)” that discussed on Startup Ethiopia Policy Actions Geared towards Youth Economic Empowerment, July 01, 2024, at Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, CAWEE Staff had the opportunity taking part. The event was organized by the Ethiopian Youth Entrepreneurs Association (EYEA) in partnership with the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs (MoWSA) and the Center for International Private Enterprise(CIPE). Participants came from various government offices, the private sector, banks, universities and entrepreneurs. Ms. Samiya Abdulkadir Godu (She/her), President of EYEA welcomed participants, where the guest of honor, H.E. Ergoge Tesfaye, Minister of MoWSA officially opened the event, where this was followed by a panel discussion. The event also featured exhibition booths where startups showcased their products and services to guests & participants. Tenadam, Member Company of CAWEE was among the exhibitors. During the event, EYEA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MoWSA and Ethio-Legal Shield, to collaborate on future initiatives. #Zelela10 #EODB #EthiopianYouthEntrepreneurs #MoWSA #CIPE #Networking #Innovation #YoungProfessionals Tenadam Betelhem Sisay Samrawit Chekol

Validating CAWEE’s Advocacy Strategy on the AfCFTA Generously funded by GIZ AU AfCFTA Support Office, CAWEE’s draft advocacy strategy developed by Dr. Martha Belete, the Consultant, was presented and discussed, June 27, 2024, where participants (20 participants - 12 women & 8 men) representing different organizations – Ministry of Justice, UNECA - ATPC (African Trade Policy Center), Embassy of Canada to Ethiopia, Oxfam, KAS Office Ethiopia/African Union Resilience, Social Enterprise Ethiopia, Go Digital Africa, Cipe - Center For International Private Enterprise, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), GIZ African Union, Africa 118 Inc. etc. The Consultant presented the opportunities that are available under #AfCFTA the challenges women in business face & what needs to be done, key messages that the advocacy strategy needs to underline, stakeholders analysis in forging partnerships, use of media as a tool, etc. The workshop discussed workable strategic tools on how best, CAWEE’s focus thematic issue - “Boosting Intra-African Trade: African Women Taking the Lead”, can be facilitated using advocacy as a tool, how best African women can benefit from the AfCFTA. The workshop was participatory and very engaging where participants contributed and expressed their opinions and reflections in validating the advocacy strategy presented for discussion. African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat Addis Ababa University Nigest Haile

Join Abyssinia E-commerce Platform   Expand Your Export Opportunities!   CAWEE is developing an e-commerce platform to facilitate online sales and empower women-led African businesses, in trading among themselves, currently involving Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda, where other countries like: Cameroon, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa and Tanzania have shown interest to join the platform.    CAWEE has started onboarding Ethiopian women exporters. The platform is expected to be officially launched very soon (https://lnkd.in/e87_KryF) and this will be a great opportunity to export your products/services.   For easy access and simple way to register your company on the platform, to fill out the form and put yourself onboard, please use this link: https://lnkd.in/e5byk-HR   CAWEE encourages you to use this platform to promote and sell your products/services to other African countries and beyond.   If you have any problem accessing the link mentioned above or any questions on that, please do not hesitate to contact us - Betty: betelhem@cawee-ethiopia.org #ecommerce #export #intraafrica #trade #registration #africa #eastafrica #trade #AfCFTA

Grand Opening of Meron Leather Shop CAWEE's Executive Director has the honor of taking part at the grand opening of #Meron Leather new shop at Reality Plaza, Bole, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, June 22, 2024. Meron Leather is a pioneer member company of CAWEE established years back with a well-recognized brand producing high end leather products targeting the export market. In expanding its product lines, beyond producing leather fashion accessories (#ladies bags, #wallets, #belts, #purses, etc.), the company has diversified its product lines in manufacturing leather garment and children’s shoes using sheep leather. Meron Leather is expanding its presence beyond Ethiopia in availing its quality products to global consumers. #cawee #meronleather #exporter

Women in Agribusiness Met for Experience Sharing CAWEE organized an experience sharing & discussion event that focused on women involved in the agribusiness sector, June 21, 2024, at Dink Donut, Wello Sefer Branch, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Participants of this event were Women Exporters Fund beneficiaries, a project funded by the Government of Canada, implemented in partnership with the Trade Facilitation Office Canada, where women business owners involved in agribusiness took part. The theme of the experience sharing event focused on “Challenges in Tax Payment and Experiences in Overcoming that." Participants were engaged in sharing their respective experiences and best practices, a platform for knowledge and information sharing. #partnership #supportsmallbusinessowners #womenexporterfund #cawee #womensfinancialinclusion

Bidding Farewell to the Netherlands Ambassador The Executive Director of CAWEE met the Netherlands Ambassador to Ethiopia, H.E. Henk Jan, at his last date in his office, June 21, 2024. Ambassador Henk was very helpful in supporting CAWEE and #women in #export, in visiting companies on site and in encouraging women #exporters. During his term, with all his generous support, women in export were supported through a series of training in export readiness to enter the Netherlands/the #EU market, where a delegation of women in export had the opportunity to travel to the #Netherlands for a trade mission and exposure visit to meet potential buyers. The Executive Director of CAWEE wishes Excellency Henk all the best in his appointment as an Ambassador of the Netherlands to Kenya. #netherlands #cawee #ambassador #supportsmallbusinessowners

Workshop Conducted on Enhanced Access to Digital Financial Services for Women in Ethiopia In line with Ethiopia’s National Digital Payment Strategy initiated by the Government, CAWEE in partnership with the Finnish Refugee Council - Suomen Pakolaisapu (FRC) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) conducted research on women's inclusion in digital financial services entitled “Enhanced Access to Digital Financial Services for Women in Ethiopia”. In validating the research findings, a workshop was organized on June 19, 2024, at the Sheraton Addis Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where 82 participants (38 men and 44 women) took part. Participants included representatives from the #Parliament, #government offices, #NGOs, #Embassies, #financial service providers, #development partners, marginalized community and women in business. Workshop participants were welcomed by a remark delivered by the Executive Director of CAWEE, Dr. Nigest Haile , where the main research findings were presented by the consultant, Mahlet Mezemer, highlighting key insights, challenges faced by women in accessing digital financial services and proposing recommendations for the way forward. Following the presentation, participants were engaged in group & plenary discussions in providing their opinions and reflections on the research conducted and presented. The workshop was very instrumental in serving as a valuable platform for stakeholders to brainstorm, identifying priority areas of focus and underlining collaborative efforts to enhance women's financial inclusion. Mr. Abadi Amdu, Country Director of FRC, delivered his closing remark in emphasizing the importance of the research and outlining future planned activities. #cawee #frc #financialinclusion #women #womensfinancialinclusion