The Chairman of the Ad-Hoc Sub-Committee charged with the implementation of the Guided Trade Initiative of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Mr. Auguste Mbappe Penda, was present at the official opening ceremony of the first International Women's Entrepreneurship Fair (SAIEF) in Douala on 3 October 2023.

The event, which brings together about a hundred women from across Africa, is organized by the Ladies Business Forum under the technical supervision of the Cameroon Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Craft (CCIMA) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

Having as theme "African women entrepreneurs and the challenges of industrialization within the context of AfCFTA and post-Covid economic recovery", the event seeks to promote experience-sharing in management and business strategy.

The official opening ceremony was chaired by the Minister of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, Mr. Achille Bassilekin III, and attended by the Trade Ministers of Cameroon and the Central African Republic, as well as a host of administrative authorities.

This very first International Women's Entrepreneurship Fair scheduled to run till 7 October 2023 will feature workshops, presentations and trade fairs.