A milestone for women entrepreneurs: The ECOWAS FEBWE Fair 2024

The event marked the culmination of years of dedication to empowering women entrepreneurs across West Africa. With the theme ‘Fostering Trade Within the ECOWAS Nation’, the event celebrated the economic potential of women in business and their vital role in the region’s development.

A key highlight of the fair was the active participation of the West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP), a key partner in the event, committed to promoting the competitiveness of women-owned businesses across West Africa. The International Trade Centre (ITC), under the WACOMP programme, took stage during the fair's conferences and panel discussions, providing expert insights into enhancing trade opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

The ECOWAS FEBWE Fair 2024 featured critical discussions, with ITC experts playing a pivotal role in shaping the dialogue on trade and women's empowerment. ITC contributed to five key panel discussions shaping the dialogue on trade and women's empowerment:

• Supporting Women Entrepreneurs and Women-owned Businesses for Increased Visibility and Exports from West Africa, experts emphasized how regional women-led businesses could gain greater market access through digital tools and strategic partnerships.
• During Breaking Barriers: Inclusive Trade Facilitation solutions for Optimizing ECOWAS Borders, the keynote address focused on reducing trade barriers for women entrepreneurs, facilitating smoother cross-border transactions, and promoting regional integration.
• The discussion on ECOWAS Region as a Business Enabler and Enhancer highlighted the region’s role in creating an environment conducive to the success of women-owned businesses, with actionable recommendations to enhance competitiveness and boost exports.
• In The Future of Women in Business in Nigeria and the ECOWAS Region, experts focused on identifying growth opportunities and addressing challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in West Africa.
• Another discussion on Empowering women entrepreneurs by leveraging the WACOMP Business matchmaking platform introduced the Business matchmaking platform, to enable women entrepreneurs access new markets, promote their products and services and meet new partners across the region. 
• The fair concluded with a forward-looking discussion, Defining the Outlook for African Business in the Whole West Africa Region, where experts shared insights into the future of trade and business in the region, with a particular emphasis on the role of women in driving growth.

A platform for empowerment and growth

The ECOWAS FEBWE Fair 2024 was a testament to the power of collaboration. With contributions from ITC under the WACOMP programme, the event successfully tackled key barriers faced by women entrepreneurs and provided practical solutions for enhancing their visibility and competitiveness. The fair also underscored the importance of fostering cross-border trade through initiatives like the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme, which encourages free trade among member states.

Featuring 41 exhibitors and attended by over 530 visitors, the fair offered exhibitions, panel discussions, and B2B networking opportunities, providing women entrepreneurs a platform to showcase their innovations, connect with potential partners, and gain valuable insights into the evolving marketplace. Thirty-two exhibitors reported 229 business transactions, indicating a hight commercial  activity and 85% of participants experessed being enthusiast for future participation.

The success of the ECOWAS FEBWE Fair 2024 highlighted the importance of continued support for women in business, as well as the transformative potential of trade facilitation initiatives, paving the way for even greater regional growth and collaboration.

About the Programme

The West African Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP) is financed by the European Union under the 11th European Development Fund. The programme aims to strengthen the competitiveness of West African countries and enhance their integration into the regional and international trading system. ITC implements the programme in cooperation with UNIDO and under the overall guidance of the ECOWAS Commission. The overall objective of the programme is 'to strengthen the competitiveness of West Africa through an enhanced level of production, transformation and export capacities of the private sector in line with regional and national industrial and MSME strategies'.