In the margin of the Regional Workshop on ‘Unlocking Opportunities for women entrepreneurs under AfCFTA’, the Economic Development Board in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, subregional office for Southern African and the International Trade Centre organized a one-day capacity-building session on ITC Market Analysis Tools with a focused exploration on Trade Map.
The training programme, held on the 2nd of September 2025 in the Auditorium of the EDB, brought together both local and international women entrepreneurs, providing them with the opportunity to strengthen their technical knowledge, enhance competitiveness, and broaden their market reach.
In her welcome remarks Mrs Nirmala Jeetah, Director, Project Development & Bio Industry and ITC SheTrades highlighted the need to building technical skills as well as fostering collaboration, strengthening networks, and empowering women entrepreneurs to take their businesses to the next level.
In her address, Ms Eunice G. Kamwendo, Director, ECA Subregional office for Southern Africa highlighted that this training session will equip women entrepreneurs from Mauritius and across the continent with practical tools, networking opportunities and confidence.
On the other hand, Ms Vanessa Erogbogbo, Director, Division of Sustainable and Inclusive Trade of the ITC stated that these marketing tools have been developed to assist women entrepreneurs to trade effectively and make data driven decisions in accessing new markets
Through this initiative, participants were able
- Analyse the current situation and prospects for target markets;
- Gain an overview of trade and market access issues;
- Better identify,understand and use market access information
By the end of this highly interactive and informative training, women entrepreneurs gained practical skills to leverage Trade Map, Market Access Map, and Export Potential Map, powerful tools that can guide them in making data-driven decisions, identifying new opportunities, and positioning their businesses more strategically in regional and global value chains.
This initiative is particularly significant for women entrepreneurs as it equips them with the knowledge and confidence to overcome information gaps, anticipate market trends, and expand beyond national borders acting as enablers in boosting their participation in international trade.
The session was delivered by Mr Christophe Durand, Statistician at the International Trade Centre, who brings extensive experience in delivering market analysis training to government agencies and enterprises across Asia and Africa.
