First Pan African Women Inventor and Innovator exhibition

Accra, July 14, GNA - The First Pan-African Women Inventor and Innovator (PAWII) Exhibition, Conference and Awards Ceremony aimed at brining together African innovative women entrepreneurs to explore their creative skills is scheduled to take place in Accra from September 7 to September 9 2005.

The conference which would be under the theme: "Business Women Marketing a Wealth of Ideas" is expected to attract 200 delegates from Europe, Asia, Africa and Americas to exhibit from the world of intellectual property, finance and international trade and enable them to share good entrepreneurial practice and promote the importance of innovative technology in enterprise.

Global Women Inventors and Innovative Network (GWIIN), an international advocacy organization, aimed at transforming the creative potentials and ideas of women into commercial propositions and economic wealth for themselves, would organise it in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs and the International Finance Corporation's Gender Entrepreneurship Markets Unit.

Ms Bola Olabisi, Chief Executive Officer of GWIIN, who announced this at a press conference on Thursday in Accra, said it would opened to all women with unique and exceptionally creative arts to showcase their products and ideas and to create the awareness about African women's creativity to the international community thereby raising their self esteem, creative motivation, broaden horizons and raise the aspirations of so many other women with bright and innovative ideas. She said the highlights of the conference would be the PAWII special recognition awards which would involve entries from African women inventors in eight award categories, spanning twelve sectors or areas of personal or organisational endeavours.

Ms Olabisi emphasized that the spotlight would be put on African women role models in entrepreneurship, to serve as a vehicle for promoting women's achievements and contribution to economic growth and manufacturing industry.

Members of the public could to identify and nominate inventive and innovative women of their choice for special recognition at the awards, she said, adding that screening of all entries and nominations and selection would be conducted by an international panel of judges headed by the President of the British Institute of Pantees and Inventors. Also interested exhibitors were advised to visit www.gwiin.com for detailed information about entry and nominations for the awards and registration procedures.

Closing date for filing of nominations and entries is July 29 2005 and eventual winners would be acknowledged and decorated at the dinner on September 9 2005.