Business Reporter
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ms Sheillah Chikomo, launched the Creating Opportunities for Youth and Women in Africa (COIYWA) programme in Zimbabwe on Tuesday to bridge critical financial, skills and market gaps for marginalised entrepreneurs.
The launch took place Tuesday during the COMESA Business Forum, ahead of the 25th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Summit set for Thursday under the theme, “One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment, and Regional Integration in COMESA.”
The COIYWA initiative is backed by a collaborative framework involving the COMESA Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB), the African union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
Addressing delegates at the event, Ms Chikomo said that the programme provided practical expression to regional integration by tackling structural hurdles faced by small and medium enterprises.
“Women and young people drive innovation and sustain our micro, small and medium enterprises yet face barriers to finance, skills and markets,” Ms Chikomo said, highlighting the critical gaps the initiative aims to bridge.
As part of the rollout, Zimbabwe joins Ethiopia, Kenya, and Seychelles in hosting dedicated business incubators under the COIYWA framework.
The local facility will target the leather and leather products sector, focusing on value addition, job creation and export expansion through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The programme directly complements Zimbabwe’s National Youth Empowerment Strategy and the National Broad-Based Women Empowerment Framework for 2026–2030.
To ensure long-term viability, Ms Chikomo urged financial institutions and development partners to establish credit guarantees, revolving funds and grants, while connecting emerging entrepreneurs with experienced business mentors and regional buyers.
“We must also connect beneficiaries with buyers, suppliers and distributors supported by experienced business mentors,” she said.
“For Zimbabwe, creating opportunities for young and women in Africa advances economic diplomacy by linking entrepreneurship with regional markets and productive partnerships. I invite the private sector and development partners to support implementation and urge women and young people to seize these opportunities.”
COMESA secretary-general Ms Chileshe Kapwepwe highlighted successful business incubators in Kenya, Eswatini, and Burundi that partner with local standards bureaus to produce export-ready goods, saying COYWA translates regional policies and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agenda into practical support.
“It was gratifying to see a very practical example of how COMESA can turn words into real active, live support on the ground,” said Ms Kapwepwe.
Director of technical cooperation and programme funding at AUDA-NEPAD, Mr Symerre Grey-Johnson, said that Africa’s women and youth were essential drivers of the continent’s transformation rather than mere beneficiaries, noting that the COIYWA programme addresses critical barriers to finance, technology and markets through business incubation, mentorship and digital financial literacy backed by a EUR20 million partnership with AECID.
Spanish Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Mr Lucas Fernandez Mosquera reported that COIYWA reflects Spain’s Africa Strategy (2025–2028) and builds upon a longstanding partnership with AUDA-NEPAD and COMESA to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems and generate sustainable employment.
