OUR AGENDA FOR ACTION FROM NAMIBIA: THE SOUTH ASIA (SAARC) CHAMBER AND THE COMMONWEALTH BUSINESSWOMEN’S NETWORK (CBWN)

With trade and investment in the Commonwealth at an inflection point, to mark the first 100 days of Shirley Botchwey, the first woman from Africa to serve as Commonwealth Secretary-General and the inaugural Commonwealth Business Summit and Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting in Namibia, the leading Chamber in the Commonwealth covering more people than anywhere else - the SAARC (South Asia) Chamber – and the most active Commonwealth Accredited Organisation in women’s economic empowerment - the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network (CBWN) - have come together to set out a 10 point agenda to bolster and boost trade and investment in the Commonwealth. 

In a world marked by accelerating Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA), this is built on leading-edge thinking and practice for a Commonwealth fit for a dynamic and durable future that is marked by another VUCA: of Vision, Understanding, Clarity and Agility. It draws upon the relationship and collaboration between SCCI and CBWN over 21 years, their active involvement at CHOGM in October 2024 in Samoa and in the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda BTB Cluster since its inception at the London CHOGM in 2018. 

Behind each of these 10 areas are specially produced and freely available reports, summary Briefings and podcasts on Spotify from Bloomsbury Radio in London (all accessed via the hyperlinks below).

1. the Commonwealth Trade Review (2024) and the Plan of Action on Investment (2024) are key reports and initiatives but deserve to be much better known and acted upon (podcast link)

2. the Commonwealth Business Context and Challenges needs to be clearly understood (podcast link)

3. Women's Economic Empowerment and Trade has to be prioritised (podcast link)

4. International New Ventures, Diasporas, Innovation Districts and Creative Industries need to be leveraged as the new and emerging frontiers of trade and investment in the Commonwealth (podcast link)

5. The time has come for a Commonwealth Investment Promotion Agency (C-IPA) (podcast link) and sharing best practices for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) (podcast link) in infrastructure development, service delivery, and promoting economic resilience

6. an Aid for Trade Strategy needs to be developed to leverage impacts and opportunities from reduced aid budgets from the US and the UK in particular in 2025 (podcast link)

7. Commonwealth Air Cargo trade potential should be recognised and maximised to drive high value trade (podcast link)

8. Business Education in the Commonwealth should plug its hole by developing strategies to enhance knowledge and collaboration about trade and investment in the Commonwealth (podcast link)

9. A Commonwealth Exports Credit Agency should be developed with South Asia being a pilot (podcast link)

10. An agenda for Commonwealth Digital Economy Cooperation should be activated that looks forward not back as highlighted in a major roundtable at Marlborough House during London Tech Week just before the Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting in Namibia (podcast link)

For more details contact Ms. Nurain Janah, Adviser, Small States, Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network (CBWN) (nurain@nurainjanah.com) and/or Mr. Chandi Raj Dhakal, Vice President SAARC (South Asia) (crdhakal11@gmail.com) who are both attending the Commonwealth Business Summit and Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting in Namibia.