The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has called for stronger accountability and measurable results in advancing gender equality and women’s economic empowerment across the region.
This was highlighted during the 15th Meeting of the COMESA Technical Committee on Gender and Women’s Affairs, which brought together Member States, policymakers, experts, and development partners in a hybrid format in Addis Ababa.
Opening the meeting, COMESA Assistant Secretary General for Programmes, Ambassador Dr Mohamed Kadah, said regional initiatives have already supported more than 1,000 women entrepreneurs across 21 Member States.
He said the support has focused on key value chains including agriculture, fisheries, and manufacturing, but stressed the need to translate commitments into measurable economic and social impact.
“Through our regional initiatives, over 1,000 women entrepreneurs across 21 Member States have received capacity-building support,” he said.
Ethiopia’s State Minister of Women and Social Affairs, Hikima Keiredin, said women’s empowerment remains both a social and economic necessity, calling for equal access to opportunities and decision-making spaces.
The meeting is focusing on integrating gender mainstreaming across key sectors such as trade, customs, industry, agriculture, infrastructure, and logistics, with emphasis on implementation and policy coherence.
A key highlight was the presentation of the Gender Equity Framework for the COMESA Pharmaceutical Industry, aimed at expanding women’s participation in a fast-growing strategic sector.
Participants are also reviewing findings from a regional profiling survey on women and youth in business, which will inform the upcoming Regional Women’s Economic Empowerment Strategy.
The strategy is expected to help scale women-led enterprises and improve access to regional and international markets.
The meeting further examined the expansion of the 50 Million African Women Speak Platform, a digital initiative supporting women entrepreneurs with access to information, networks, and markets.
It also reviewed findings on youth substance abuse, with a focus on gender disparities, alongside progress under the COMESA Federation of Women in Business programmes.
To improve accountability, COMESA is introducing an online reporting framework to track progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment across Member States.
