02 Sep 2018

Women entrepreneurs have been encouraged to think and dream big in order to take their business to greater heights.

Addressing a meeting in Maun recently, Women in Business Association (WIBA) president, Ms Nametso Ntsosa-Carr advised women to venture into the male dominated road and building construction sectors.

‘’Women are few in this sector because they dream small and think that construction is a male only business, but they can do better than men if they could venture into it,” she said.

Ms Ntsosa-Carr said there were opportunities in building and construction in the Ngamiland District through Economic Stimulus Programme and urged women to try their luck.

The WIBA president further encouraged women to consider partnering and coming up with profitable projects instead of wasting time gossiping and being jealous of one another.

She said there were a lot of opportunities that women could tap into to improve their livelihoods such as selling clothes, catering and vending.

Ms Ntsosa-Carr explained that WIBA was available for all women willing to venture into business, adding that the organisation’s aim was to help and empower them through consultative meetings, mentoring and giving financial support.

She said WIBA provided business women with a platform to interact, adding that some of its members were part of President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s delegation to China as a way of exposing them to new business experiences.

Last year, she said, WIBA organised a benchmarking trip to Johannesburg while this year, a business seminar was scheduled to take place in Kenya.

She encouraged women to join the association and benefit from the services offered free of charge, explaining that the P650 registration fee earned one a membership card with benefits at Botswana Railways, Haskins and Jamal Trading.

Meanwhile, Ms Ntsosa-Carr pledged to pay membership subscription for a young entrepreneur, Ms Monosi Cletus of Walls Sticker Deco, who was inspired by the WIBA president’s presentation and showed interest in joining the association.

She also pledged to assist Ms Cletus to design her website.

For her part, the 32-year-old Ms Cletus expressed appreciation for the support she got from WIBA and assured them of her commitment to the association.

Ms Cletus, who sells her products online, said her business was doing well and that she was the only one running that type of trade in Maun.

A website platform would help her attract more customers for her car and wall stickers as well as temporary tattoo business, she said. ENDS