To empower women in Burundi, the Federation of National Associations of Women in Business for Eastern and Southern Africa (FEMCOM) and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) Spanish Fund have launched a project to support women in the country’s textile industry. Facilitated through the Business Incubator for African Women Entrepreneurs (BIAWE), the project is aimed at creating jobs for women.
The women will be trained on how to produce high-quality cloth through skills and entrepreneurial empowerment training. After training, the women will be encouraged to empower themselves financially by forming cooperatives and through coaching and mentorship programmes for making their businesses sustainable.
The project will also create strategic partnerships with different institutions in the country and beyond. These partnerships will enable trainees to connect with off-takers and a market for their products, according to information on FEMCOM website.
FEMCOM projects in the textile sector aim to empower women in different sectors in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) member states where the association has its footprints.