Export Market is the focus of BRICS Women's Business Alliance Event
WEForum numbers highlight that there is room for female entrepreneurship, although there is a lack of opportunities. A total of 104 people registered for 85 business meetings with 15 countries
By the BRICS Women's Business Alliance
Promoted in the context of the BRICS Women's Business Alliance (BRICS WBA) the WEForum attracted over 1,150 people to Belo Horizonte for a two-day business meeting, as well as a global audience via streaming. Representatives of at least ten countries were at the state capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais for a special program held on Wednesday and Thursday (March 26-27) with the goal of fostering connections, expanding partnerships, and discussing strategic topics such as economy, innovation, and female leadership in promoting sustainable businesses and access to financial resources, combating gender inequalities and violence in the business environment, and promoting safe and inclusive workspaces.
Equity in the business environment
The numbers presented at the WEForum highlight that there is room for female entrepreneurship, although there is a lack of opportunities. A total of 104 people registered for 85 business meetings with 15 countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Italy, Paraguay, Peru, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others. The majority of buyers came from the food and beverages sector, followed by cosmetics and clothing. A total of 30 Brazilians took part in this round of international negotiations, driving economic activity.
According to WBA BRICS Global President Mônica Monteiro, the biggest challenge for women is not slow economic growth, but rather the lack of opportunities and inclusion: "What explains Brazil having lower rates than other BRICS countries is not a less dynamic economy, but the lack of opportunities for events like this, called matchmakers. Once you give a woman the opportunity to export, she will never stop exporting. If the barrier were the country’s economic growth measures, Japan would have the majority of women exporting. So, it is not about that, but about showing that there are opportunities and how to seize them," said Monteiro.
“In addition to networking, we can promote joining forces instead of competition; we want to unite and show men this feminine sensitivity in business," emphasized Ana Claudia Badra Cotait, President of the Council of Women Entrepreneurs and Culture (Conselho de Mulheres Empreendedoras e Cultura/CMEC) of the Brazilian Confederation of Commercial Associations (Confederação Brasileira de Associações Comerciais/CACB).
Flávio Roscoe, president of the Industry Federation of the State of Minas Gerais (Federação das Indústrias de Minas Gerais/FIEMG) —who also represented the president of the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (Confederação Nacional da Indústria/CNI), Ricardo Alban—, highlighted that “in order to change the world, we must start from home, in the industry. In 2008, 24% of women occupied leadership positions; today, they are 34%. It is still not enough, but we have the example of several women who are leading organizations. I am proud to say that, within FIEMG, 64% of the leadership roles are occupied by women, from a total of 55% of our workers who are women”, Roscoe stated.
WEForum agenda
The first day of discussions contemplated four panels. The issues included public policy, leadership, agriculture, trade, and industry. According to Izabel Itikawa —president of the Industry Federation of the State of Roraima (Federação das Indústrias do Estado de Roraima/FIER) and Pró-Amazônia, participating in the agribusiness panel— “women have always been present in agriculture, in operational roles, contributing in the fields with their leadership. With their capacity to identify what is often ignored by men, they now begin to extend this leadership to management roles in agricultural industry processes”.
The last session of the day counted on the participation of Maira Rodrigues from APEXBrasil, Zhao Haiying, president of the Chinese chapter of BRICS WBA, and Anna Nesterova, president of the Russian chapter. They talked about the challenges and successful models in research and development for the internationalization of business, particularly in women-led companies within the BRICS, to expand productivity. This was the topic presented by Haiying. The entry of new members was highlighted by Nesterova as a development that can strengthen trade opportunities.
Startups Challenge
Margarete Coelho, Management and Finances Director at the Brazilian at the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Serviço Brasileiro de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas/SEBRAE), introduced to the audience the Startup Challenge, an initiative by WBA. The challenge has received a total of 2,000 applications from women-led startups in various categories, including Health and Well-Being; Agriculture and Food Safety; Education and Skill Development; Energy, Infrastructure, and Mobility; Trade, Services, and Digital Transformation; and Sustainable Development and Climate Solutions. The competition is structured in stages to support startups at different points in their journey. It welcomes new ventures, guiding early-stage startups focused on concept validation, as well as those that have already gained market traction. It also includes scale-ups that have experienced significant growth and are looking to expand internationally. The awards ceremony will take place alongside the BRICS Summit in July.
Event organizers
The WEForum is part of the agenda of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance (BRICS WBA), which organizes this event in partnership with the Women Entrepreneurs and Culture Council (CMEC), São Paulo Commercial Association, Federaminas, CACB, FIEMG, FAEMG SENAR, IBREI, Sistema Fecomércio-MG, SEBRAE, National Confederation of Industry (CNI), Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), and the Federal Government; sponsored by BDMG, BID, CODEMGE, CNT, NATURA, SABIN, and SIGMA; and supported by Al Invest Verde, Beauty Fair, Brasilcham Sweden, CECIEX, European Union Council, DC News, Diário do Comércio, Federaminas Mulher, Global Gateway, Infra Women Brazil, Invest Minas, Lady Diamond, MNPT Mulheres de Negócios, PNUD, WICCI, Rede CIN, and the Government of Minas Gerais.