ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT IVANKA TRUMP: “EMPOWERED WOMEN PAVE THE WAY TO ECONOMIC PROGRESS”

Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 30, 2019 ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT IVANKA TRUMP: “EMPOWERED WOMEN PAVE THE WAY TO ECONOMIC PROGRESS” “Despite the incredible difficulties they face, women in Africa are already transcending poverty, creating jobs, and pioneering a brighter future.”   Empowered women pave the way to economic progress  By Ivanka Trump CNN April 30, 2019 I recently traveled to Africa to advance the White House's Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, or W-GDP, which seeks to reach 50 million women in the developing world by 2025. … The most remarkable part of the trip was connecting with women from across the continent who have overcome tremendous barriers to pave the way to change. Their stories are tangible proof of what is possible if we deliver smart development assistance to empower women to succeed in their economies. In Ethiopia, I met Sara Abera. … With assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and private sector partners, she has grown her business from less than 10 to nearly 600 employees. … Today, Sara is Ethiopia's top exporter of handmade woven garments and pottery and her products sit on the shelves of stores across the United States. ... Her journey illuminates the goal of strategic development assistance: helping people, communities and, ultimately, countries, transition from recipients of United States assistance to self-reliant trading partners. Access to the financing is one of the greatest challenges women like Sara face in Africa, and throughout the developing world. That is why, during my trip, I was proud to announce a new landmark program within W-GDP: 2X Africa. Through financing through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), 2X Africa seeks to directly invest $350 million to help mobilize over $1 billion in capital to support women-owned, women-led, and women-supporting projects in sub-Saharan Africa. … Due to legal restrictions on women's ownership of land, Ivorian women own only 25% of cocoa farms, making it more difficult to secure financing. ... During my visit to Adzope, USAID Administrator Mark Green and I announced that the United States, in partnership with the World Cocoa Foundation, will provide an additional $2 million dollars to create more than 300 new savings associations so that women in the cocoa industry can access the capital and training programs needed to support themselves and their families. … Due in great measure to laws and customs that restrict women's ability to own or inherit land and, in some cases, even open bank accounts, women represent just 15% of landholders in sub-Saharan Africa. … Despite the incredible difficulties they face, women in Africa are already transcending poverty, creating jobs, and pioneering a brighter future. … Read the full op-ed here.