Between March 17 and 20, 2025 in the cities of Maputo and Chimoio, 48 women-led companies in Mozambique's processed agri-food sector will be exploring business opportunities with 11 importing companies from Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Rwanda.

The SheTrades Commonwealth+ trade mission aims to promote greater market connections for Mozambican companies led by women, reinforce their knowledge of market requirements and strengthen regional trade connectivity between Mozambique and the countries of the participating importers.

According to a press release we were given, the main products on which the trade mission will focus include cashew nuts, sesame seeds, processed grains, cereals and teas.

This regional mission is part of the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Program, which is implemented in a partnership between the Institute for the Promotion of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (IPEME,IP) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), funded by the UK Government.

Throughout the week, the delegation of importers from four countries will take part in business-to-business (B2B) meetings with the companies led by the selected women and will make several visits to companies in Maputo City and in the provinces of Maputo and Manica.

The opening sessions in Maputo and Chimoio also include information-sharing sessions led by UK government representatives to share opportunities for exporting agri-food products from Mozambique to the UK and the region, including preferential trade schemes through the UK's Developing Countries Trade Scheme and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the member states of the Southern African Customs Union and Mozambique (SACUM).

The UK High Commissioner in Maputo, Helen Lewis, said: "The UK is proud to support the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Trade Mission to Mozambique.

This initiative, which promotes the growth of Mozambican companies led by women in the agri-food sector, reflects our commitment to strengthening trade ties between Mozambique and the UK. We are committed to creating opportunities for these companies to access the international market, fostering inclusive and sustainable economic development."

For Joaquina Gumeta, Director General of IPEME, "the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Trade Mission to Mozambique, in the cities of Maputo and Chimoio, between March 17 and 20, 2025, stands out as a significant milestone for the economic empowerment of women in the agri-food sector.

This event, which symbolically takes place during women's month, reinforces our commitment to promoting inclusion, training and access to new markets for companies led by women, boosting sustainable growth and the diversification of our economy."

In February 2025, five Mozambican women entrepreneurs were supported to take part in the Manchester Trade Mission in the UK, organized by the SheTrades Commonwealth+ Programme, where they networked with British companies, visited British companies in the processed agri-food sector, took part in peer learning with 45 other women entrepreneurs from nine other countries and found out about the requirements and procedures for entering the UK market.

This regional trade mission organized by ITC, IPEME and the British High Commission in Maputo builds on the momentum and collective efforts to strengthen the capacity of Mozambican companies in the processed food sector to become more competitive in regional and global markets.