12 Aug 2013

Some of the social ills facing the country are due to gender inequalities, the Gerald Estate Customary Court president, Kgosi Paul Motshwane has said

Speaking at the awards ceremony for first Northern Women’s Exposition in Francistown on August 8, Kgosi Motshwane said as a traditional leader and key partner in gender issues, he had observed that women suffered gender-based violence.

Kgosi Motshwane said due to the socio economic challenges; women sometimes found themselves trapped in abusive relationships. He commended the move by the Department of Gender Affairs in addressing the socio-economic challenges faced by women in the country.

Women’s expositions, he said, provided strategic avenues for women entrepreneurs to network, harness their business skills as well as promote the general empowerment of women.

Kgosi Motshwane said funding a number of women’s groups in the region, would contribute towards the economic development of the city, adding that employment opportunities would also be created for more women.

As a result, he said it might help in reducing gender based violence because women would be independent and able to make their own decisions.

For her part, the director of Ebat Consultants and also a woman entrepreneur, Ms Neo Maruapula said Botswana’s women continue to demonstrate their resilience when it comes to socio-economic development.

She noted that their efforts had been recognised and encouraged by the government through its funding initiative for women’s projects.

Ms Maruapula said government has demonstrated a strong commitment to economically empower its citizens, especially women who had been leaving in the shadow of their male counterparts.

She however challenged women entrepreneurs to diligently harness and nurture their businesses to ensure sustainability, despite the challenges.    

 “There will always be challenges throughout the process of running a business but never give up, continue to beat the odds to reach your target,” advised Ms Maruapula Being economically stable, she said, would give them the desired dignity and social stand as individuals.

She advised them not to misuse profits derived from thriving business because that could lead to their downfall. 

Furthermore, Ms Maruapula said they should understand that they cannot always be funded by the government, instead they should work hard to fund other business that are coming up as a way of uplifting others and assisting the government as well. Ends