14 May 2017

Women entrepreneurs have been advised to set own goals and understand their journey in business so as to achieve goals.
Speaking during a workshop organised for women entrepreneurs by African Women’s Entrepreneurship programme (AWEP), business woman Ms Lesang Motlhabane who is known in the hospitality business in Molepolole and Mogoditshane encouraged women to believe that they have what it takes to succeed.
In her motivational words to Molepololole women who most of them fall in the start-up category business wise, she emphasised the need for one to be hands on advising that in the business journey there was no easy way out.

She said it was important to reduce unnecessary expenses citing moulding bricks for a building project than borrowing large sums of money from financial institutions which could impact negatively on the business.
Ms Motlhabane also opined that for a business to be credit worthy, they have to demonstrate commitment by starting small with the little they have and keeping records in order to show prudent financial management.
For her part, AWEP Botswana chairperson and also business woman, Ms Chigedze Chinyepi told the women that AWEP assisted women entrepreneurs in the sub-Saharan Africa.

 She said the organisation supported economic growth and trade through incorporating women into the economic sector while also promoting opportunity and development in the continent.
She however cautioned that as business people, there was nothing like ‘the business has failed’ saying that if their businesses failed and they quit, it meant that the foundations were wrong from the very beginning. She therefore challenged them to always consider business failures as learning curves.
Sharing her business journey, Ms Mmapula Letshabo of House of Claudia said she started experiencing good opportunities of growth for her fashion design business after benefitting from the African Growth Opportunity Growth Act (AGOA)/ AWEP initiative.

Giving an overview of the workshop, AWEP-Botswana charter treasurer Ms Mokgabo Ookeditse explained that the idea was to empower women and accelerate growth for women owned businesses through creation of opportunities.
This also included through capacity building by training them to be competitive taking advantage of AGOA and other trade agreements.
By being members of AWEP, women entrepreneurs stand to benefit from business linkages with other AWEP Chapters through networks, sharing of skills and exchange benefits and mentorship programmes in various platforms.
The women were also taught business, financial management, sales and marketingskills . ENDS