Raising awareness and promoting female entrepreneurship and the rights of women and girls are major issues in our society. It is with this in mind that a motorized caravan, in partnership with UN Women and the Permanent Consultation Framework for Congolese Women (CAFCO), was organized in Kinshasa on 8 July.
The objective of this initiative was to meet the population of Kinshasa, especially women, to inform them about the laws favorable to female entrepreneurship and to encourage them to formalize their businesses. Indeed, many women already carry out small businesses, but evolve in the informal sector. The aim was therefore to make them aware of the importance of registering with the one-stop shop for business creation in order to benefit from all the legal advantages.
Honorine Bokashanga, judge and member of CAFCO, stresses the importance of going to the field and conveying these messages via a motorized caravan. This captures the attention of passers-by and disseminates information effectively. Women have the right to set up a business or practice trade, even when they are married, because marital authorization has been replaced by information, as stipulated in the family code. It is also crucial to sensitize women and girls on the need to report cases of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Mimie Angèle Khonde, another member of CAFCO, adds that this sensitization also took place in the districts of Tshangu, Mont-Amba and Lukunga, within the framework of a pilot project for the reform and dissemination of laws favorable to female entrepreneurship. Women play an essential role in the Congolese economy, as heads of sewing workshops, market vendors or itinerant vendors. It is therefore essential to support them in their entrepreneurial approach and to help them formalize their activities.
This motorized caravan marks the start of a vast project which will take place from mid-2022 to mid-2023. It is an important step in raising awareness and promoting women’s entrepreneurship in the Democratic Republic of Congo. By encouraging women to formalize their economic activities, by providing them with the necessary information on the laws in force and by helping them to access support services for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, we contribute to their empowerment and the development of their our society as a whole.
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