Barcelona, 29 April 2016 –The 8th Mediterranean Women Entrepreneurs Forum, co-organized by ASCAME (Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry), AFAEMME (Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen) and the EBWA (Egyptian Business Women Association) took place yesterday in Cairo. This Forum’s edition took place under the theme “Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Promotion for Women and Youth” in the framework of the 11th African Congress for Women Entrepreneurs & 4th Cairo Women Empowerment Summit.
The MedaWomen Forum was the key occasion to discuss how to better support the Mediterranean youth through entrepreneurship promotion for achieving the region’s economic development and inclusive growth. According to Dr Asfour, President of EBWA, “Women’s Economic Empowerment is crucial and the basis for achieving other Sustainable Development Goals”. During the Forum, the situation of women-owned companies in the MEDA region was also analyzed. A number of individual and institutional factors impact the ability to start and grow firms, particularly attitudes, norms, values, legal environments that help women to access resources, accept women in leadership positions, and gain work experience in all sectors. And as Dr.Ezz, Executive Board member of ASCAME asserted, “Public-Private-Civil Society Partnerships may be the way of better achieving change in the region”.
The renowned Forum was attended by representatives of international organizations and several businesswomen associations. The latest highlighted the opportunity of training migrant women for entrepreneurship in the countries of destination, so that if/when they return to their countries of origin they are well prepared to have the chance of achieving financial independence and rebuild their lives.
Women are crucial for a sustainable future and the economic growth of the Mediterranean region. In this sense, MedaWomen Forum is today a unique platform giving opportunities to those women to establish contacts and to do entrepreneurial networking at an international level.