Network conference for entrepreneurial women at Oskarsborg

On the 20-21st of May NHOs Secretariat for private sector development arranged a network conference for women entrepreneurs at Oskarsborg fortress near Drøbak. The conference gathered representatives from seven different countries. One of the highlights of the program was the presentation and demonstration by Kari Mæland of NHO of the “Female Futures” program.

The objective of the conference was to put women entrepreneurship on the agenda and highlight the opportunities and challenges that exist in NHOs partner countries.  One of the development goals of the UN is to increase the percentage of working women in developing countries. It is of critical importance that women participate in the economy equipped with the same basic rights as men.  Recent studies suggets that developing countries with higher gender equality tend to have lower poverty rates. 

In Norway we have come a long way in terms of making sure women participate in the economy.  In recent years Norway has focused on encouraging women to take on leadership positions alongside men.  Norway is one of the first countries to mandate that women occupy at least 40 percent of the seats in the boardrooms of medium to large companies.  This initiative was highlighted at the conference by Kari Mæland, the coordinator of NHOs Female Futures project.  Ms. Mæland demonstrated some of the elements that make up the program and one practical outcome of this may be that the participants are inspired to set in motion similar programs in their own countries.

In addition to sharing some of Norway’s experiences the conference gave representatives from Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Brazil, Angola, Nigeria and Uganda an opportunity to present the opportunities and challenges that exist in their own countries.  The discussions that ensued following these presentations were interesting and showed that despite regional differences and variations in culture many of the challenges facing women are universal in nature.  A common thread running through the conference is that the economic empowerment of women is a catalyst for growth. 

Representatives from China, Brazil and Uganda (from the left)

Further it became clear that sharing experiences and developing networks across borders is an effective way to identify models that work.  One such model was highlighted by the representatives from Nigeria that have developed a strong entrepreneurial organisation for women almost from scratch. This organisation has succeeded in reaching out to hundreds of women and helped train them to become better businesswomen.  A key insight gleaned from the conference is that organisations such as the Nigerian NNEW (Network for Entrepreneural Women) are very important, particularly in countries where women are somewhat undermined in their capacity as economic actors.  Organisations such as the NNEW empower women to take the next step by deepening the management skills and creating platforms to scale their business.

In conclusion NHO wishes to thank the participants for their contributions.  NHO hopes initiiatives such as these provide a stepping stone towards empowering women.  This would not only help drive the commercial success of women, but contribute towards advancing a broader development agenda in NHOs partner countries.

Link to AFIs report from the conference