The Executive Director of CAWEE, warmly welcomed invited guests and participants, where the opening remark was delivered by Mr. Lukas Kupfernagel, Country Representative, KAS OfficeEthiopia/African Union.

Mahlet Girma, Trade Expert from the African Trade Policy Center, UNECA, delivered a presentation on “The Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) – Documenting & Assessing the Early Experiences of Trading under the AfCFTA.” This was followed by a panel discussion, where Nancy Gitong from African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP) Kenya Chapter and Dr. Martha B. Hailu from the School of Law, Addis Ababa University provided their reflections. The discussion provided a comprehensive overview of the early experiences under the GTI, highlighting both successes and challenges. The insights gained from this event are expected to be invaluable for Ethiopia as it helps to continue navigating the AfCFTA implementation processes, ultimately contributing to increased intra-African trade.

The Guest of Honor, Excellency Ben Marc, Ambassador to the AU, Embassy of Canada to Ethiopia, delivered his closing remarks on the importance of such a gathering, where he underlined and recommended the need in continuing such initiatives so that African women get the opportunity to benefit from the provisions of the AfCFTA