UK SheTrades Commonwealth+ Trade Mission boosts women-led business in Mozambique’s agro-processing sector

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UK SheTrades Commonwealth+ Trade Mission boosts women-led business in Mozambique’s agro-processing sector

8:09 CAT | 21 Mar 2025

Photo: British High Commission in Mozambique

Between March 17 and 20, 2025 in the Cities of Maputo and Chimoio, 48 women-led companies in Mozambique’s processed agri-food sector were exploring business opportunities with 11 importing companies from Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Rwanda under the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Trade Mission in a partnership between the Institute for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises (IPEME, IP) and the International Trade Centre (ITC).

The initiative funded by the UK government promoted over four days, links to the regional market for Mozambican companies led by women, by strengthening their knowledge about the requirements of the regional, the participating importing countries and the opportunities in the British market. The main products that the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Trade Mission focused on include cashew nuts, sesame seeds, processed grains, cereals and teas.

In the city of Maputo, the opening event was attended by the Secretary of State for Trade, António do Rosário Grispos, who on the occasion highlighted the essential role of women in strengthening and recovering the Mozambican economy.

In this mission, opportunities for the export of agri-food products from Mozambique to the United Kingdom and the region were highlighted, including preferential trade mechanisms through the United Kingdom’s Developing Countries Trade Scheme and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the member states of the Southern African Customs Union and Mozambique (SACUM).

In Manica province, British High Commissioner Helen Lewis said: “This trade mission reflects UK’s commitment to development. Our priorities in economic growth and investment are aligned with the National Program to Industrialize Mozambique, aiming to attract investments and value local raw materials.”

For Joaquina Gumeta, Director General of IPEME, “the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Trade Mission reinforces the Mozambican government’s commitment to promoting inclusion, empowerment and access to new markets for women-led businesses, driving sustainable growth and diversification of our economy.”

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Last February, five Mozambican women entrepreneurs were supported to participate in the Manchester Trade Mission, organised by the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme, where they networked with British companies, visited local businesses in the processed agri-food sector, participated in peer learning with 45 other women entrepreneurs from nine other countries, and learned about UK market entry requirements and procedures.

Source: British High Commission in Mozambique / Media Release