8 AUGUST2026W MAN LEADERGLOBAL W MAN LEADERGLOBAL Khalida Boufedeche has been appointed as the first female President of the People's National Assembly (APN) in Algeria, thus creating a milestone in the nation's parliamentary affairs. A doctor by profession and an FLN party member, Boufedeche won 302 votes through a secret ballot that was conducted for the 10th legislature.This appointment received the backing of various political factions in favor of the reforming agenda of the Algerian government. In her capacity as APN president, she vowed to speak on behalf of all parliamentarians as well as improve the performance of the assembly through cooperation and dialogue. and digitization. In his address at the LCCI Women's Group and SME Group Product Day 2026, the president of the Chamber, Leye Kupoluyi, stated that women entrepreneurs play an important role in the growth of the Nigerian economy.LCCI intends to increase collaborations with financial institutions as well as increase the digital capacity building of women-owned MSMEs. There are many business opportunities within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and therefore women entrepreneurs are encouraged to adopt technologies and network in order to grow their businesses. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has called for increased support towards women enterprises through enhanced financial access, market The year 2026 saw the involvement of five girls from Premiere Academy, Abuja, at the Young Women Leadership Conference that saw the participation of more than 3,000 young women along with policy makers, entrepreneurs, and leaders from various industries. This conference was held by the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, which is under the auspices of Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Youth Development.The conference was held with an aim to promote leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation and citizenship skills amongst women. There were mentoring sessions as well as talks to help prepare young women for their role in national development. There will also be training sessions for business development for participants through grant programmes. According to the recent Gender Thematic Report, the proportion of female-owned companies in Rwanda is up to 39.9% in 2023, compared to 32.6% in 2017. In addition, the number of women-owned businesses has been on the rise, going from 60,786 to 104,316, which is faster than that of male-owned companies.It is worth noting that women entrepreneurs represent the majority in the field of wholesale and retail trade, accounting for 44.6% of businesses. Nevertheless, most women-managed companies are still micro enterprises, making up for 94.4% of all female-owned businesses. The COMESA Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB) has opened up an Incubation and Innovation Hub in Seychelles in order to boost women KHALIDA BOUFEDECHE BECOMES ALGERIA'S FIRST WOMAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKERLCCI CALLS FOR BETTER MARKET ACCESS FOR WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSESCOMESA LAUNCHES INNOVATION HUB FOR SEYCHELLES WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSYOUNG WOMEN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE EMPOWERS NIGERIAN STUDENTSRWANDA WOMEN-LED ENTERPRISES RISE TO 39.9%, REPORT SAYSNEWS BITES
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