10 Feb 2016

Women in business have been urged to produce quality products that can penetrate the international market.

Speaking during Women in Business Association (WIBA) workshop held in Palapye on Tuesday, WIBA executive committee member, Ms Diane Sibanda said it was high time locally produced goods reach the international market.

She said by so doing it would increase foreign exchange in the country.

She noted that for locally produced goods to reach regional and international markest, they should be of high quality, adding that goods without standards would experience trade barrier.

Ms Sibanda said locally produced goods were still struggling to reach international and regional markets because of lack of standards despite the fact that the country developed them through Botswana Bureau of Standards.

She urged even small businesses to use the standards to improve the quality of their products. “If we take ourselves seriously, our businesses will sell regionally and internationally,” she said.

For her part, WIBA vice president, Ms Nametso Ntsosa-Carr urged women to join hands and support each other economically, politically and socially.

She also urged women to share ideas and support other women in business.

Ms Ntsosa-Carr urged them to join WIBA, a non-governmental organisation formed in 1990 with the aim to increase the participation of women in all sectors of the economy, especially those dominated by men.
Ms Ntsosa-Carr said WIBA empowers its members by offering them management training in areas that allows them to run their daily operations.

She said WIBA has also created platforms where women could share information amongst themselves, thereby harnessing the power of its network.

In addition, Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) brand manager, Mr Thuso Palai said it was important for locally produced goods to be branded.

He said the Botswana brand should be used to distinguish goods produced locally from those of other countrie

He said his organisation also helps to market locally produced goods outside the country, and that entrepreneurs should always think about selling outside the country whenever they make goods.

Specially elected councillor for Palapye, Mr Gaethuse Morake said the purpose of the meeting was to help women set up their own businesses to alleviate themselves from poverty.
He noted that the majority of Ipelegeng workers were able-bodied women who have the potential to graduate from the programme.

He said women empowerment programmes such as those offered by the Department of Gender Affairs could help women working under Ipelegeng to set up businesses and improve their livelihood. Ends