09 Mar 2022

Women have been challenged to dream big and  engage in bigger businesses than  metshelo.

Speaking at a business clinic to mark International Women’s Day in Francistown on Tuesday, the director of KDM Global, Dr Koziba Malibala said there was no how women could contribute to the economic development of the country if they did not diversify and augment their businesses.

She said motshelo could not sustain itself if not supported by other businesses, adding, ‘we want to see metshelo producing women billionaires’.

She said some of the challenges faced by women included lack of financial management tools as well as administrative stress, urging them to support one another to overcome such challenges.

Giving a keynote address, business woman and councillor, Ms Nametso Greismer appealed to women to utilise government programmes at their disposal to improve their living standards.

She also advised women to apply for loans from financial providers such as CEDA, National Development Bank and commercial banks.

Ms Greismer said the commemoration of International Women’s Day created an opportunity for the country and those advocating for women’s rights to unite, network and mobilise for meaningful exchange.

“The commemoration seeks to celebrate women’s achievements, contributions, efforts and struggles towards the entire development process; to discuss their past strengths, weaknesses and failures with a view to finding solutions to remove the constraints experienced,” she added. She said women had always been faced with many challenges, which continued to threaten their quest to attain equal opportunities and participate in Botswana’s  development.

“Women’s participation in the development process is very important since it will promote equality as more women will become independent, increase employment and business opportunities to escape the unstable and low wages conditions they face in the informal sector,” she said.

Ms Greismer, however, said some women had managed to overcome such hurdles to make notable achievements, thus showing that women were equally capable of achieving any feat in life. She said government was aware that harnessing the productive potential of women was one way to guarantee sustainable economic development.

“It is as such critical that as we progress with the implementation of our Vision 2036, we cherish the equal participation and representation of women in all spheres,” she added.

Ms Greismer advised that it was important to continuously embark on education, skills development and legal reform to cultivate a foundation for equal rights and equal opportunities for women and men. Botswana International Trade Centre (BITC) business director in Francistown, Mr Gaorekwe Gaorekwe also encouraged women not to go into businesses solely to make money, but rather to solve problems.

Mr Gaorekwe advised women against copying businesses that already existed, saying that would  not take them anywhere, adding,  ‘as we aspire to be entrepreneurs, let us be those who are informed’.

He said BITC had a number of opportunities such as investing in the agricultural sector as ‘one commodity we have in abundance in Botswana is land, which is totally underutilised’. He also advised women to form clusters, associations and cooperatives so to be easily assisted. ENDS