26 Jun 2013

The 14th national women’s exposition will offer women entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their products, network and learn from each other.

Addressing the media in Gaborone on June 25, deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs (MLHA) Ms Kelebogile Kgabi said this year’s exposition would attract 300 exhibitors compared to 200 in 2012.

The exposition, she said, was one of the poverty eradication strategies adopted by the government and it targeted women entrepreneurs from all over the country.

Ms Kgabi said the exposition will be held in Gaborone from July 1-6, at the Fairgrounds holdings while the northern event will be conducted from August 5-10 in Francistown at the Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM) trade fair grounds.

She noted that MLHA through the gender affairs department, took a deliberate move to conduct two events in order to accommodate more exhibitors. The exposition aimed at addressing disparities that existed between women and men in the trade and economic sphere, she said.

The objective of the exposition would also be to forge links, create partnerships and networking among women entrepreneurs as well give national exposure to local producers so that they could plan to finance, produce and market their products in an efficient manner.

It would also expose women to new products from other regions, areas within the country and also through demonstrations to learn how to create those products and further improvise using locally available materials and resources, she said. ENDS