TelOne rolls out women empowerment programme
TELONE in partnership with Batsi Health, a local innovation start-up, has launched a women empowerment programme called BatsiWomen aimed at uplifting the lives of less-privileged women across the country.
The programme is set to enrol 500 women in five districts training in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, leadership, digital marketing and basic ICT skills.Trained women will become e-health and e-commerce agents under a partnership with ZimSmart Villages (Batsi Health). This first empowerment programme was launched in Redcliff this week.
TelOne head of corporate communications ,Mrs Melody Harry, said the programme creates a perfect opportunity for women to find new hope in life and prosperity.
“This is an opportunity to find new hope and inject a fresh feeling in women. Some women had lost hope but this programme will go a long way in empowering women,” she said.
Mrs Harry said TelOne also has five corporate social investment pillars where girls and women empowerment form part of the pillars.
“We have been active in girls’ empowerment and we feel it was high time we engaged women and empowered them and Batsi Health came in a perfect partner,” she said.
Mrs Harry said the company is going to roll out this programme to empower women across the country.
“We believe women have a significant role to play in families and the wider economy in general and their empowerment remains key to our focus as an organisation,” she said.
Batsi Health chief executive officer, Dr Admore Jokwiro said the programme is a good start in setting a foundation for women’s empowerment.
“BatsiWomen are agents who enable access to health and e-commerce services in the communities. The training is the foundation upon which the programme delivers these vital services in the communities,” he said.
Dr Jokwiro said the programme empowers women to build micro-businesses by leveraging the Batsi marketplace, promoting health access and financial inclusion for women.
The training was conducted by a team from Batsi Health.Popular musician and life , Plaxedes Wenyika and confidence coach Nyaradzo Mavindidze were also part of the speakers.
On Saturday, TelOne also conducted a free health day in Redcliff where members of the community were treated for various ailments.n-choncile
African countries seek to align Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT) action plan with AfCFTA goals
African countries seek to align Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT) action plan with AfCFTA goals African Continental Free Trade Area
Leonard Ncube, leonard.ncube@chronicle.co.zw
AFRICAN countries are seeking to implement the Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT) Action Plan to align it with the transformative goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and improve Africa’s share of global trade.
BIAT is divided into seven pivotal clusters, focusing on integrating intra-African trade into national strategies, involving the private sector in policymaking, enhancing food products and services, simplifying trade regulations, reducing transit times, optimising border posts, and integrating border management.
Despite significant progress in implementing the AfCFTA, BIAT remains limited with little information available on its domestication and implementation at regional and national levels.
While the AfCFTA has seen significant strides with 47 out of 54 signatories ratifying the agreement as of April 2024 and trading commencing on January 1, 2021, the BIAT Action Plan’s progress has been limited.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with the African Union (AU) convened an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) in Douala, Cameroon to evaluate and enhance the Action Plan.
In a statement, ECA said trade integration has been identified as an important driver and essential ingredient for inclusive growth and economic development across the African continent.
Despite Africa’s substantial potential, the continent’s share in global exports remains around three percent, highlighting the need for increased intra-African trade and industrialisation.
“Currently, intra-African exports and imports stand at 17.8 percent and 14.6 percent respectively, far below the levels seen in Europe and Asia. Acknowledging this potential, the AU Assembly, during its 18th Ordinary Session in January 2012, adopted the decision to establish the AfCFTA with the goal of creating a unified African market. This initiative aims to foster seamless trade in goods and services, enhance Africa’s global trade position, and drive sustainable socio-economic development,” reads part of the statement.
The BIAT identifies seven key clusters: Trade Policy, Trade Facilitation, Productive Capacity, Trade-Related Infrastructure, Trade Finance, Trade Information, and Factor Market Integration, which are crucial for deepening market integration and boosting intra-African trade.
The meeting will serve as a veritable platform to review the draft report titled “Framework for Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT), Ten-Years After Progress, Implementation Challenges, and Implications for the AfCFTA.”
It sought to gather insights from experts, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and other stakeholders to enrich the report’s content, enhance its analytical soundness, and ensure the robustness of its data and recommendations.
Participants were drawn from RECs, the African Union Commission, the AfCFTA Secretariat, the African Development Bank (AfDB), Afreximbank, the Trade and Development Bank, the African Trade & Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI), and representatives from the private sector.
ECA is made up of 54 member states and plays a dual role as a regional arm of the UN and as a key component of the African institutional landscape.
It was established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN in 1958 as one of the UN’s five regional commissions.
Its mandate is to promote the economic and social development of its member states, foster intraregional integration and promote international cooperation for Africa’s development.-chroncile
