29 Jun 2014

Women own one per cent of the world’s wealth despite being the major contributors in the global workforce, says the Minister of Labour and Home affairs, Mr Edwin Batshu.

Officiating at a dinner and prize giving ceremony of the 15^th women expo on June 27, Mr Batshu said 65 per cent of the world’s poor and two thirds of the world’s illiterate were women.

“While there has been a great deal of progress in the fight against poverty and gender inequality, women remain disproportionately represented among the world’s poorest, the gender gap in economic, social and political spheres remains a challenge,” he said.

However, he said government had made deliberate efforts to address these challenges faced by women by adopting two strategies for the economic empowerment of women.

These, he said, included disbursement of funds to women for income generation activities and exposure of women entrepreneurs into the trade sphere.

Regarding the disbursement of funds to women for income generation activities, Minister Batshu said for the past 10 years, government has funded a total of 310 women’s groups at a total cost of over P34 million which benefited a total of 2 480 individuals.

On the exposure of women entrepreneurs into trade sphere initiative, the minister said government has established mechanisms to support women entrepreneurs which included providing technical support.

Minister Batshu further noted that the government also supports women entrepreneurs in accessing markets locally, regionally and internationally, with the Botswana women’s exposition being one of the strategies.

For his part, the chief executive officer of Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA), Mr Thabo Thamane encouraged exhibitors to continue taking their businesses seriously and assured them CEDA will always assist them well in time.

Women who did their best in various business categories were awarded certificates and prizes. Categories included horticulture, leatherworks, arts and crafts, pottery, accessories, weavers, food processing, service and information technology, farming, as well as small stock and animal production.

The expo themed, Women’s economic empowerment; prosperity and progress for all, drew exhibitors from the southern part of Botswana and part of the central district.

Other women entrepreneurs came from D’kar, Lokgwabe, Xabu, Kokong, Ralekgetho, Leshibitse, Lerala, Matasalalo, Serowe, Ranaka and many other areas.

The expo has also grown in enrolment of exhibitors from 70 in 1999 to 350 this year. The increase in numbers has been prompted by the introduction of the Northern Exposition which started last year with an enrolment of 150 exhibitors.

The second Northern women’s expo will be hosted in September 22 -27 this year. ENDS