WEBC eyes regional expansion for convention
WOMEN Entrepreneurs Business Council (WEBC), one of nine councils under the Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF), is looking at ways to also include women from other Pacific Island countries in its future Women Invigorating the Nation (WIN) Conventions.
The WIN Convention is an annual twoday event organised by WEBC with the aim of providing a platform where women from different sectors of society could gain a lot of learning, dialogue, and networking opportunities.
WEBC and WIN Convention committee chairperson Sharyne Fong told The Fiji Times that one of its plans was to have a network of similar organisations like WEBC and FCEF come together into a regional network.
“Through this regional network, one thing is to bring them together in a convention like this where we can all voice our concerns, lesson learnings, challenges and so forth,” Ms Fong said.
“But more so, I’m seeing it as if we can come together as a force in a region of similar women organisations, how can we support each other and sharing that economic benefit.
“For example, sharing trade across the region, opening up export opportunities for each other, and also, if someone from another country has secured a bigger market, how can we support that country?
“For example, Women in Business – Samoa secured providing virgin coconut oil to The Body Shop for their cosmetics.
“In Fiji, we also have coconuts, and a lot of other Pacific Island countries so how can we share that and how can we come together as a joint community in the region of women-owned businesses and help progress?”
Ms Fong said this year’s convention saw women from other countries such as New York, New Zealand, and Australia in attendance and this showed the possibility of including women from within the region.
The 2025 WIN Convention is scheduled to take place in March 29 and 29, 2025.