01 Aug 2013

The impending Northern Women`s Exposition will offer women entrepreneurs the opportunity to show case their products, learn from each other as well as network.

The gender affairs department deputy director, Ms Thapelo Phuthego said this when briefing the press about the exposition slated for August 5-10. Ms Phuthego told the press conference that the event would be held at the Botswana Chamber of Commerce Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM) show grounds under the theme: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: Key to Sustainable Economic Development.

She said they were expecting the permanent secretary for the poverty eradication programme in the office of the President, Dr John Mothibi to address the projected 150 exhibitors from Bobirwa, Chobe, North-West and North-East regions. The exposition, she said, was one of the poverty eradication strategies adopted by her department and it targeted women entrepreneurs across the country including the northern region.

She also said the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, through her department, has this year taken a deliberate move to conduct two consecutive events in the southern and northern parts of the country in order to accommodate more exhibitors to participate in the prestigious event. She said statistics indicated that about 20.7 per cent of Batswana, majority of them women, lived below the poverty datum line.

Explaining on the strategies to be used, Ms Phuthego said the first stage involved disbursements of financial grants to women to start income generating projects such as agriculture based projects, manufacturing; and food processing with intent to sustain their livelihood. On the second strategy, she elaborated that her ministry would assist women entrepreneurs to access markets locally, regionally and internationally.

She further said the benefits of the expositions were noticeable as of today, a total of 10 women entrepreneurs graduated from micro level across a range of business to international standards and have participated at global expositions.

Some of the entrepreneurs who performed beyond expectation and contributing immensely to the economy of the country included A re Yeng Basadi, a baking group based in Tonota and Shorobe Basketry based in Shorobe. She noted that the first event was successfully held in Gaborone from July 1-6 at Fairgrounds Holdings and it attracted over 150 exhibitors from the southern part of the country. ENDS