Kathmandu, January 19

The South Asian Women Development Forum (SAWDF) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Amarnath Reddy, minister for industries and commerce department of Andhra Pradesh and the Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India (ALEAP India) to set up Women Entrepreneurs International Trade and Technology Hub (WITH).

The MoU was signed in presence of Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandra Babu Naidu during an International Conference on Innovation, Incubation and Industrialisation in Vishakhapatnam, India.

The main objective of the one-stop marketing and service centre will be to boost women’s participation in trade through trade information, capacity building, product marketing and regional sharing of good practices, as per a media release issued by SAWDF today. The trade hub will focus on strengthening trade in cross-country, regional and global markets.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Naidu said that the coming together of women entrepreneurs from the SAARC region would strengthen women entrepreneurship at the regional level. He said he was glad that the government of Andhra Pradesh, under his leadership, allocated five acres of land for the establishment of the hub.

The SAARC Secretary General, Amjad Hussain B Sial, addressed the conference with the belief that regional connectivity is extremely important and women issues are a priority in SAARC.

President of SAWDF, Pramila Acharya Rijal said the trade centre will create new business opportunities for women entrepreneurs in local, national, regional and international markets. She said the hub will facilitate women’s participation in trade and mutual trade opportunities regionally and globally.

Likewise, Rama Devi, president of ALEAP India, stated that the trade hub will bring together women entrepreneurs from various regions in a common platform to showcase their products, promote exchange of skills, training and

new technologies.

The MoU signing ceremony for WITH coincided with the international conference, which kicked off on January 16 and concluded today at Vishakhapatnam, India.

Rijal attended the conference, leading a 40-member business women delegation from Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka, the release adds.