In agreement with the International Trade Center (ITC), the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Côte d'Ivoire (CCI-CI) officially launched the "SheTrades West Africa -ITC" Project on Wednesday November 25, 2020, at the premises of the CCI-Côte d'Ivoire in Abidjan-Plateau.

At the initiative of SheTrades ITC, this program, which is part of the business support mission carried out by the CCI-CI, aims to strengthen the capacities of 24 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Cooperatives managed or headed by women,
in the cashew, shea and cassava sectors as well as their by-products.

According to the vice-president of the CCI-Côte d'Ivoire, Maguiraga Bakary, this training is in line with the missions of the CCI-CI, in particular the support for actors in private sector companies in which SMEs constitute the most important fringe with nearly 90%.
This project, initiated by ITC and funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency, aims by 2023 to contribute to improving the living conditions of ten thousand women through inclusive value chains in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in the agricultural sectors of Cashew, Cassava and Shea.

According to the vice-president of the CCI-CI, through this program, 24 small and medium-sized enterprises in the cashew, shea and cassava sectors, mainly run by women, will see their organizational and commercial knowledge increased. “I would therefore like to urge all beneficiaries to take advantage of this program to ensure the competitiveness of their businesses,” he encouraged.

The national coordinator of the "She Trade West Africa" project, Yao Daouda said that in Côte d'Ivoire, the project will build the capacity of 14 SMEs in the cashew sector, 5 SMEs in the shea sector. and 5 SMEs in the cassava sector. For him, this project will provide support to two 2,500 farming households. To achieve this goal, the International Trade Center works with relevant ministries, business support organizations, SMEs and agricultural households. The coordinator urged the participants to be diligent in the various trainings and to put the knowledge acquired immediately into practice in the various companies.