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Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum (WVEF) attracts 400 companies

23 May 2014
ITC News
Kigali event in September will promote trade, partnerships and investment

More than 400 women-owned companies from 45 developing countries have registered for the Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum (WVEF) 2014 which will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, from 16-17 September 2014.

These women-owned companies are in search of new business prospects to develop or expand trade at WVEF.

WVEF, which is organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and partners, is a flagship event of the Global Platform for Action on Sourcing from Women Vendors. WVEF offers a platform for companies to diversify their sourcing to include more women-owned companies which are selected to participate on the basis of buyer requirements. The focus sectors are coffee and services.

WVEF brings buyers, investors and sellers together to establish collaborative relationships, partnerships and joint ventures with women-owned companies. This could promote access to procurement contracts and open up investment prospects for women-owned SMEs. There are an estimated 10 million women-owned SMEs in developing countries, representing close to 40% of total SMEs.

WVEF will be held in conjunction with ITC’s World Export Development Forum (WEDF).