São Paulo – Projects aimed at women’s empowerment developed by chambers of commerce from various countries were presented this Wednesday (26) in a webinar organized by the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture (ICCIA). The WAHI – Women Who Inspire – committee of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) was one of the initiatives shown at the event entitled “Empowering women in chambers of commerce around the world.”
The seminar was moderated by the ABCC’s director of Institutional Relations, Fernanda Baltazar. It featured a speech by the president of the WAHI Committee, board member of the ABCC and H2R Pesquisas Avançadas, Alessandra Frisso.
The other participants were Dina Yacout, president of the Council of Businesswomen of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC) and president of the Ismailia Chamber of Commerce; Elena Ageeva, vice president of Strategic Development of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of The Republic of Tatarstan (CCI RT / TPPRT); Jhale Hajiyeva, vice president of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ASK); and Blessing Owomugisha Immaculate, deputy secretary-general of the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI).
Alessandra Frisso spoke about the WAHI committee. Its mission is to make women in the committee do business together. One of the main goals is to create opportunities for the internationalization of women-led companies, especially SMEs, in different sectors, such as cosmetics, technology, and agriculture. “We know COVID-19 has created different challenges for men and women. And we can conclude, with this seminar, that regardless of culture, women have the same challenges around the world,” she said.
Dina Yacout said in Ismailia, in Egypt, the chamber of commerce she presides over began to meet the needs of women at all positions and from diverse backgrounds, from entrepreneurs who already have companies to those who have an idea they want to implement, and women with online businesses. “We try to keep direct contact with them and bring branding, marketing, and product advertising solutions to reach their target audience. We had over 20 exhibitions, and they were a remarkable success. Now they have adequate conditions to upkeep their business,” she said.
In a second moment, Yacout realized the need for training businesswomen. “We held virtual workshops, and now in phase three, we are offering financial services and assistance for the pandemic, so women do not have to close their businesses. Now, we are discussing clean energy and sustainability. We work on a multi-level approach,” she said. She also mentioned having WhatsApp groups to contact businesswomen and approaching university students to invite them to implement their projects with her assistance.
Elena Ageeva heads two projects focused on youth empowerment in Tatarstan, Russia. She believes in gender communication and creating projects with men and women together as a team. Ageeva spoke about the 100 Leaders project, which aims to foster business development and prosperity in the region; increase the number of CCI RT / TPPRT member companies; promote entrepreneurship among youth; stimulate intercultural, intergender, and interreligious interaction between participants and groups; create opportunities to obtain high-quality, affordable project management education; establish a mentoring and supervision system with successful entrepreneurs, and develop initiatives and projects in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We already had two editions of the project with young women and men, and I was able to conclude that teams with both genders were more productive, professional, creative, and also had a greater inner strength and emotional intelligence to work together and express their ideas,” said Ageeva. According to her, it is imperative to promote gender equality in these groups, combining communication with companies, the public sector, youth, and gender. “Communication is the way to empower women,” she declared.
Jhale Hajiyeva stated chambers of commerce could encourage women and support them to develop their businesses. She created the Advancing Women’s Empowerment in Azerbaijan project and said everything should start with the national government’s stimulus policies. “We need to make women believe they can be part of the country’s economy,” she said.
Blessing Immaculate said her chamber of commerce helps women start their businesses and supports them with all the challenges they face with training, projects, and campaigns. Businesswomen receive training in finance to learn how to invest their money and grow their company. A new project is training 250 women-led companies to start exporting. There is also a campaign for women to have their own homes.
Watch the full event:
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
