Maersk to connect 3m female entrepreneurs to markets in one year

The Head of Marketing and Business Development, Africa Region of Maersk, Anita De Werd, has promised to ensure that three million female entrepreneurs access the benefits of trade in Nigeria before the end of 2021.

Werd,

Small who and described Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as the engine of innovation and job creation, said if the company can empower small businesses in trade, that would help make economies more inclusive.

Speaking as a panelist during the opening session of the fifth edition of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Forum held in Abuja, Ms. De Werd said 95% of all companies in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) economies were SMEs and they account for two-thirds of formal sector jobs, despite having much less access to the benefits of trade.

De Werd emphasized that the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group focuses on working through partnerships to empower entrepreneurs and SMEs through various partners such as the SheTrades initiative of the International Trade Centre (ITC).

The Maersk executive said the Copenhagenheadquartered shipping conglomerate is passionate about enabling trade for the benefit of the society and its customers.

Ms. DeWerd also advocated open trade as an enabler of economic prosperity and growth, stating that “A.P. Moller-Maersk wants to be a cornerstone of an inclusive and sustainable global trading system that can help eradicate poverty and deliver decent work for all, which are two of the Sustainable Development Goals agreed by the United Nations in 2015.”