Comesa Federation of Women in Business Seychelles Chapter to be launched today By Patrick Joubert |31 August 2021
The Comesa delegation in a souvenir photograph with Minister Zialor and her team
A high-level delegation from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa is in Seychelles since Saturday for the official launch this afternoon of the Seychelles Chapter of the Comesa Federation of Women in Business.
The delegation from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) which is being led by its secretary general, Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, yesterday held talks with three ministers.
The talk with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Sylvestre Radegonde, and key officials from the ministry was centered on Seychelles’ relation and engagement with the Comesa, among other related matters.
Following its meeting with Minister Radegonde, the delegation met with Minister for Family, Youth and Sports, Marie-Celine Zialor, and key officials from the ministry at its headquarters at the Family House at Beal Eau.
The discussions, among other topics, were mostly on the empowerment of women and young people through the various Comesa programmes as well as gender related matters.
Among the different topics discussed with the Minister for Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry, Devika Vidot, and senior officials from her ministry, included support for women in entrepreneurship, industrialisation, trade facilitation and investment.
The discussions were held at the Seychelles Bureau of Standards (SBS) at Providence.
Members of the Comesa delegation will this morning, prior to the launch of the Seychelles Chapter of the Comesa Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB), pay a courtesy call on President Wavel Ramkalawan at State House.
The aim of the COMFWB is to act as a forum for the exchange of ideas and experience among women entrepreneurs to set up or expand their existing enterprises. It was established in July 1993 in Zimbabwe with the endorsement of the authority which is made up of heads of state and government of the Comesa member states.
The objective of COMFWB is to promote programmes that integrate women into trade and development activities in Eastern and Southern Africa: in particular in the fields of industry, trade and services, agriculture, fisheries, energy, transport, communications, natural resources and mining, with the main objective to improve the economic conditions of women in the sub-region as well as increase the awareness of women in development and business issues at the policy level.
Other than Ms Kapwepwe, the Comesa delegation also include Maureen Sumbwe, chair of COMFWB; Ruth Negash, chief executive of COMFWB; Lanka Dorby, director of information technology and networking; Providence Mavubi, director of industry and agriculture and Muzinge Chibomba, the PR officer.
The accompanying photographs show the Comesa delegation during their meetings with the three Seychellois ministers.
Patrick Joubert
Photos by Louis Toussaint
