THE AFRICA BAZAAR MAGAZINE
February 6, 2019
United States President Donald J. Trump said during his second State of the Union speech Tuesday that his administration will announce on Thursday a government-led comprehensive initiative that will focus on economic empowerment for women in developing countries.
“As part of our commitment to improving opportunity for women everywhere, this Thursday we are launching the first ever Government-wide initiative focused on economic empowerment for women in developing countries,” President Trump said during his speech to members of the U.S. Congress and the American people.
The initiative, which will be called Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, is part of the administration’s agenda and comprehensive effort to build on its commitments to improve economic opportunities for women in America and globally by combining various programs that the administration has launched since it took office two years ago.
The White House-led cross-government initiative will focus on three agenda: Empowerment of women in the workforce; Women entrepreneurs, and Facilitating and enabling environments for women in developing world, which furthers the administration’s national security strategies of promoting economic empowerment.
Through the new initiative, the administration seeks to provide fundings for women entrepreneurs and women-led small and medium enterprises in the developing world.
White House Special Advisor Ivanka Trump, who is also the first daughter of President Trump, first announced plans for the new initiative to audience last September during a conversation with Matthew A. Swift, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at the 2018 Concordia Summit in New York.
“We know that when you invest in women, they invest back into their communities, they invest in their children’s education, and invest back into their families,” Ms. Trump told the audience.
She underscored that in furtherance of America’s domestic peace and stability, “it is in our national security interest to support women’s economic empowerment in developing world because they are at the forefront of making sure their children are not radicalized. They are at the forefront of ensuring peace and stability.”
*This article has been updated with the name of the new initiative.