Ethiopian Chapter of African Women Fish Processors & Traders Network Launched
The Ethiopian Chapter of the African Women Fish Processors and Traders Network, a continental platform with the objective of bringing women together to transform their businesses and trade across the borders within the continent has been launched in Addis Ababa today.
The Ethiopian chapter was launched after a two-day consultative meeting of Ethiopian women in the fishery sector on the proposed constitution and rules of procedure, action plan and leadership structure for the implementation of activities of the new association.
Ministry of Agriculture Human Resource Development Director, Hussen Abegaz said on the occassion that most of the women engaged in post-harvest business at grass roots level will benefit from the continental network support of partners.
The ministry and other pertinent regional, continental and international partners will provide different forms of support to transform the national association and create market linkage in Africa, he added.
According to him, the leadership of the association plays crucial role to the success of the association in mobilizing resources and getting other supports while the ministry mainly provides capacity building for the association.
In addition the ministry will provide information about the fishery businesses across the country and create favorable condition to the association to implement projects, Hussen stated.
Fishery activities are mainly undertaken in Ethiopia in lakes Tana, Hawassa, Turkana lakes, and lakes in Gambella regional state, it was learned.
The director said the Ethiopian chapter is a national, sub-regional and continental network that will support women and other members engaged in the fish processing and trading business in Ethiopia.
African Women Fish Processors and Traders Network Vice President, Suzan Njery told ENA that the network has more than 30 member countries in all the five sub-regions of the continent.
“It’s a continental body that brings women in fish processing and trading together. We never had a common voice. Yet, we trade across borders. So we do experience very similar challenges,” Suzan explained.
The AU has given the African women the forum to come together and seek solutions to the challenges.
The vice president stated that the network will provide capacity building training and give value proposition of the benefits of membership to women in Ethiopia.
According to her, the alignment of the network with the laws of the countries, partners’ initiatives and the ongoing African Free Continental Trade Area (AFCFTA) will help women build capacity, transform business and create cross-border market linkages in the continent.
African Women Fish Processors and Traders Network aims to improve the welfare, working conditions, and income for women in fisheries and especially in the post-harvest sector in Africa.
Established in 2017, African Women Fish Processors and Traders Network is a continental platform to bring African women fish processors and traders together to collaborate in transforming their businesses and trade across the borders within the continent.
Source: Ethiopia News Agency