The establishment of the East African Community (EAC) way back in 2000 brought about a myriad of opportunities for the people of the EAC. The region is one of the most integrated economic blocs in Africa, with conditions continuously created for greater market access, along with improved physical and ICT infrastructure for enhanced competition.

Women entrepreneurs in the EAC contribute tremendously to the region’s economic growth.  Across the EAC Partner States which include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, women are increasingly owning businesses.  The Mastercard Index for Women Entrepreneurs (MiWE 2019) for example found that Uganda leads Africa in countries that have a high number of women-owned enterprises as a percentage of total business owners, at 38.2%, meaning 4 in every 10 businesses are owned by women. Most of the women entrepreneurs in the EAC are found in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are integral to the region’s economic development.

Catalyzing women’s entrepreneurial talent is vital in advancing women’s economic empowerment, creating jobs, eradicating poverty, and contributing to socio-economic growth.  The opportunities brought about by regional integration may not be fully achieved if women are not empowered to tap into them by assisting them to surmount the business barriers they face in their entrepreneurial journey. These barriers are varied and have been widely documented, with most oscillating around access to finance and credit. To this list, one can add limited use of ICTs, knowledge of IP, and difficulty harnessing innovative technologies. This makes a case for creating a gender-sensitive ecosystem for promoting ICTs, innovation and IP for women entrepreneurs in the region.

With the Covid 19 pandemic, it is even more imperative to address these specific barriers so that women can harness and employ ICTs and innovative technologies in their businesses, and also create and benefit from IP. Women entrepreneurs must spice their businesses with demonstrable innovation, creativity, and risk-taking in order to make further business inroads. Innovation ought to be prioritized as it will help them to create outstanding products and build strong brands.

As part of its work program, the East Africa Women in Business Platform (EAWiBP) is addressing some of the business barriers mentioned above albeit in a phased manner. Interviews are for example being conducted with women entrepreneurs to interalia determine their ICT needs and how to use the same for growth. The results will enable EAWiBP membership to grow and expand their business portfolio by leveraging ICTs, as well as innovation and IP amidst the distractions brought about by the covid 19 pandemic.

Many women entrepreneurs currently use ICT services and tools to connect with buyers, discover market information and obtain other useful business information. Some others are still lagging, and training on these aspects can add great value to their businesses. The best capital out of social media can be made if appropriate training and skills on the same are acquired.

In terms of Intellectual Property (IP), IP ought to be intentionally embedded in the business development strategies of women entrepreneurs. This is why; IP rights are one of the most valuable assets to any small business owner and appropriate steps need to be taken to protect the IP.

An understanding thus of the business value of the intellectual property (IP) and impacts for start-ups is important, as well as a basic introduction to the different types of IP assets, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets and how the same can be used to protect their innovations is imperative.

For many businesses, as they scale the heights, their IP portfolio expands.  Women entrepreneurs need to learn how to build and leverage an IP portfolio for growth; as well as develop an understanding of the best practices for IP management.

These three things; ICTs, innovation, and IP have great potential to transform the business prospects of women entrepreneurs and enable growth and development.

The author, Philda Maiga is an Open-AIR Queen Elizabeth Scholar – Advanced Scholars Fellow and a PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.