The Economic Commission for Africa Office for North Africa has launched today a capacity-building workshop for women leading small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in collaboration with the Libyan Ministry of Economy and Trade.

The training will focus on best practices and peer learning in export, digitization, and sustainable investments, and will take place in Tunis (Tunisia) on 24-27 September 2024. Participants will include entrepreneurs and representatives from the Ministry.

“The female labor force participation rate in North Africa (20.1% in 2024) has been below both the continental and global averages. SMEs can play a key role in creating employment for women. It is therefore important that our member States support the emergence and sustainability of women-led businesses in the sub-region,” said Adam Elhiraika, Director of the ECA Office for North Africa.

The ECA office for North Africa is holding this workshop as part of its programme for the support of women-led SMEs in North Africa, which aims to enhance the competitiveness and resilience of such businesses by improving their access to export markets within the AfCFTA framework, strengthening their digital capabilities (e.g. digitizing export activities), and encouraging the adoption of sustainable practices.

This event follows a series of similar training workshops held in Morocco, where approximately 350 women entrepreneurs benefited. The project was also recently expanded to include women-led businesses in Mauritania.

EVENT: Capacity-Building Workshop for Women-Led SMEs in Libya
DATE: 24–27 September 2024
LOCATION: Tunis (Tunisia)