The CIPINA Gender Project aims to develop the  entrepreneurship of African women through the promotion of knowledge on women’s entrepreneurship, the support for freedom of expression and the representation of women, and the development of a range of services for women entrepreneurs and their service providers.

”  Strengthening the capacities of African women is strengthening Africa,  ” stated ILO Director-General Juan Somavia in 2007, who also specified that encouraging  female entrepreneurship in Africa was crucial for the continent’s development . Today, CIPINA echoes this sentiment, stating that African women are a driving force at all levels on a continent where women’s leadership is a strong tradition, particularly in the field of trade. This reality is shared by the ILO, which works throughout Africa with development partners, including UNDP, for the advancement and emancipation of African women.

In this area, CIPINA will strive to bring everyone into agreement on the usefulness of African women’s entrepreneurship as a means to establish mechanisms that offer better protection and greater security to African women entrepreneurs, their families and their communities. CIPINA will also be able to ensure that women, particularly the most marginalized, are  informed of their rights and the resources that they can own and therefore be responsible for .

Today, in fact, all initiatives in favour of development, whether the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and the Sector Approaches, place emphasis on the effective integration of African women in the democratisation and decision-making process.