When the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was launched on January 1, 2021, many female entrepreneurs hoped that the world’s largest free-trade area, with a market of 1.2 billion people, would boost their businesses and reduce endemic poverty.
But they are missing out on the opportunities because their businesses are mostly small, have low productivity and get little funding from governments and agencies, several women told DW.
Female business owners say they have also struggled to obtain visas and documents they need to export their goods.
At a poultry farm in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde, the female farm owner said her 30,000 chickens, destined for markets in Gabon, have yet to leave.
Bissso Nakatuma, Niger’s director for the promotion of rural enterprises, said female…
