About : Colloque sur l"Entreprenariat féminin en Afrique d... in marrakech marrakech marrakech Travel Marrakech

The discussions take place on 1 and 2 March 2010, in a seminar organized jointly by the Office, North Africa of the Economic Commission of the United Nations for Africa (ECA) and the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), with the support of the development (IDB) Islamic Bank.

"Maghreb women do not face legal barriers in terms of access to the économiqueÉ activity but only texts are not sufficient and women remain a largely untapped resource," said Ms. Karima Bounemra Ben Soltane, Director of the subregional office of ECA in North Africa, at the opening of the work of the Conference.

According to recent studies of the North Africa of the CEA Office, women entrepreneurs are an emerging class in North Africa. Thus in Tunisia, the number of women entrepreneurs, valued at more than 10,000 since 2004, been multiplied by 40 since 1970. Even if this trend common to all of the countries of the subregion reveals a greater equality between men and women in education and training, much remains to be done in the field of economic opportunities. According to Ms. Bounemra Ben Soltane, "women continue to have more difficult access to the formal labour market and face many inequalities in terms of wages, conditions of work, status and professional responsibilities." As regards the informal sector where women in North Africa are very important through traditional and empirical knowledge related to trades of textiles, basketry, pottery and decorative, it is important to preserve this cultural capital, but also to evolve to adapt to the constantly changing requirements of market, a - t - she continued.

The Marrakech Conference provides the opportunity to define, beyond the role of women entrepreneurs in the economic development of the Maghreb in General, targeted strategies for enhancement of their place in the subregional economic integration process. The agenda also includes discussions on the use of new technologies and the support that financial institutions can make to Maghreb women's entrepreneurship in the context of the economic and financial crisis today.

The subregional office of ECA in North Africa is linked to the Arab Maghreb Union by a multiannual cooperation programme whose implementation has started in January 2008. Gender issues occupy a central place in this partnership. For the Secretary General of the UMA, Mr. Habib Ben Yahia, the issues of regional integration and the implications of the economic and financial crisis are such as the enhancement of women's entrepreneurship is imperative for all Maghreb countries.

It should be noted that the representative of the IDB Mr. Ahmed Ben Ali and the President of the Maghreb Union of employers (UME) Mr. Youssef Mouhyi participate in the work of the Conference.