23 Oct 2022

Small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) play a critical role in the country’s economic development. Together with larger enterprises, they mobilise resources and allocate them among productive activities, says acting chief executive officer of the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA), Mr James Moribame.

Speaking at Women Finance House Botswana (WFHB) mini-show in Gaborone on Thursday, he said the show brought together women who were mainly vendors to come up with plans that could improve their businesses.

Held under the theme “Go kgopiwa ga se go wa, he noted that participants  were mainly street vendors who sold airtime, sweets, fat cakes and agricultural produce.

Mr Moribame said there were impediments to the growth of SMME’s in the country, and that they were still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said there were measures which a business could consider to stay afloat and they included the impact on operations, finances, stakeholders and to ready to adapt.

Mr Moribame noted that women constituted the majority of entrepreneurs engaged in the informal sector, and that their contribution ranged from employment creation and meeting families’ economic needs thereby creating wealth for the country.

He said women entrepreneurs found it difficult to sustain their businesses because of lack of market access. He urged all stakeholders to strengthen the competitiveness of the women and to ensure that they had access to national and international markets.

Mr Moribame said CEDA was addressing some of the challenges faced by citizens in the informal sector, through initiatives such as Mabogo Dinku and mainstreaming funding.

For his part, the secretary general of the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations, Mr Wisborn Malaya said women were economy drivers because of their patience and commitment.

He said they should not apologise for uplifting their lives and putting food on the table for their families.

Mr Malaya urged all stakeholders to support women in their endeavour to do business. He also urged them to create a conducive environment for women to do business by providing them with space in front of their premises.

The founder of WFHB and board member, Ms Imelda Mathe said the organisation has assisted over 15 000 women since its inception. ENDS