07 Jul 2013

The Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Mr Edwin Batshu says government has come up with many initiatives geared towards the upliftment of women in every area where they have a history of marginalisation and exclusion.

Officiating at a dinner and awards ceremony to mark the 14th Women’s National Exhibition, Mr Batshu said the exposition gives women the opportunity to display their talent and sell their products.

The exposition was held under the theme, Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: Key to Sustainable Economic Development.

Mr Batshu pointed out that government has availed funds to assist women in starting income-generating projects to enable them to attain economic independence.

He explained that apart from promoting general awareness of women’s enterprises, the exposition also serves to increase their marketability and provide women with the opportunity to network and learn from each other.

Networking in all business ventures, Mr Batshu said, is vital as it is a winning strategy for progress in sales turnover.

The minister also stressed that the exposition celebrates those women who have made crucial decisions about their economic situations resulting in the creation of businesses which they have managed for their own benefit and those under their care.

“We know for sure that if you put economic power in the hands of a woman, she will feed herself and many other people within her reach,” he stressed.

These women, he noted, have been able to rise above many socio-economic and cultural challenges and are contributing significantly to the economy of their communities as well as the growth of the national economy.

Harnessing and unleashing women’s full potential as significant players in community and ultimately national efforts to develop a stronger economy is imperative, the minister said.

Supporting women who have good business ideas that can be developed into viable ventures should serve to prevent poverty and vulnerability to exploitation as well as to create a hitherto untapped contribution to national economic growth, Mr Batshu said.

He further said that  whilst government is encouraged by the current positive trend regarding the development of women’s entrepreneurship, the country is now challenged to search for more effective ways in which these women can be assisted to market their products.

For his part, the ministry’s permanent secretary,  Mr Ikwatlhaeng Bagopi encouraged the business women to stay focused on their visions and dreams to succeed in life.

Mr Bagopi told the women that they owed it to the upcoming generation which looks up to them to leave a legacy behind.

He said the next generation wishes to stand tall on the foundation that has been laid by the current generation of entrepreneurs in order for them to sail through to success.

He thus encouraged them to never entertain mediocrity as their standard but rather to strive for greatness.

Women who excelled in the manner in which they presented their exhibits to a panel of judges were awarded prizes.

The exhibits, which did were categorised according to levels with the initiating level being that of businesses that were starting up and most of them still operating in backyards attracted P2 500 as prize money.

The second level, which was awarded to businesses that had been in the industry for a little while, walked away with P3 000 while others which were established businesses atracted P3 500.

Businesses were categorised into various fields such as arts and crafts, pottery, accessories, weavers, food processing, service and information technology, agriculture produce as well as small stock and animal production.

Fourteen years ago when the National Women’s Exposition started, only 70 women across the country participated in exhibiting their products.

However, the expostion has made remarkable progress with the  number of participants increasing significantly to about 300 this year. ENDS