Cambodians make a forceful case for coordination between ministries and responsible stakeholders. Canada’s push for equality is backed by research showing that equal opportunity could bring the country $168 billion more in income, an extra 1.6 million jobs for women and a whopping 21% increase in its Gross Domestic Product. Similarly, Ugandans just revisited their National Export Strategy to leverage the power of women to generate wealth and fight poverty.

Reducing poverty can only happen with sustainable revenue that comes from trade, not aid. A hidden key to success in least developed countries is to get the trade diagnostics right – and identify trade constraints specific to women. The Enhanced Integrated Framework offers a means of addressing such constraints, weaving solutions into national development plans.

Women are stepping forward as never before. They are becoming leaders, financial managers, business strategists, risk-takers and entrepreneurs.

French poet and writer Louis Aragon once said, “Woman is the future of man”, expressing his vision of a society that allows women to be more in charge of its destiny. It sounds so inspirational, but can it be realized?

While women own about 40% of private businesses in Uganda and some 30% of women in business are exporting, women’s role in socio-economic development is still seen to be peripheral.