NAIROBI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), a trade lobby, on Wednesday launched a mobile app dubbed iSOKO to boost women-owned businesses in East Africa.
Richard Ngatia, president of KNCCI, told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the digital platform will help women entrepreneurs connect with potential buyers, allowing them to reach a wider audience and sell their products more easily.
"This app will have a significant impact on the lives of women traders, by increasing their income, improving their bargaining power, and promoting their economic independence," Ngatia said.
He revealed that approximately 20,000 female entrepreneurs are expected to enroll in the mobile app by the end of 2023.
Bruno Linyiru, secretary of Trade in the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, said that the e-commerce platform will leverage the widespread availability of smartphones across the East African region to enhance revenues of women-led businesses.
Linyiru noted that the digital platform will also provide women traders with real-time information about market prices, demand, and supply as well as tips on how to improve the quality and presentation of their products.
He observed that the mobile app is an intervention that will promote increased social and economic empowerment of women traders because it is in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) five which is devoted to gender equality.
