African businesswomen from Turkana County visited Korea with support from the International Trade Centre and KOICA to meet potential buyers and learn about the Korean market. Sarah Sikatenda, Joyce Asinyon Logiron, Benta Ekiru Eremon and Josephine Lobur Alongita said the trip gave them ideas to improve product quality, branding and market customization. No immediate agreements were reached, but the delegation said the visit helped build networks and identify weaknesses.
Sarah Sikatenda, who heads the Kalobeyei Women Handicraft Cooperative, speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Sarah Sikatenda, a 45-year-old businesswoman and advocate for refugee women, worked as a journalist in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before arriving in Turkana County in northern Kenya in 2017.
She now leads the Kalobeyei Women Handicraft Cooperative, an organization that produces beaded jewelry, woven baskets and upcycled textile products made from used jeans. It has more than 300 members from South Sudan, Burundi, Ethiopia and other African nations.
Sikatenda was visiting Korea with three other African businesswomen from Turkana County with support from the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) under a project aimed at empowering women-led businesses in marginalized regions.
