NDB empowers women in business
| Monday October 13, 2014 15:59
The bank has been running a business plan competition for women which was launched in March 2014 at the annual ‘Women in Business and Leadership Conference. At a ceremony held in Gaborone last week, NDB CEO Lorato Morapedi announced two winners of the business plan competition, who each walked away with P30,000 prize money. The Board Chairman Lesedi Seitei handed over the cheques to the winners, Thato Supang and Matshediso Kabelo who were picked out of the over 1,000 applications. Ikgantsheng means to ‘Take pride in what you do’.
Morapedi stated that NDB aims at instilling pride in women by empowering them and their businesses.
According to the CEO, Ikgantsheng is a tool that NDB will use to sharpen women’s business skills and help them develop sustainable business proposals.
“ Young and old women can also learn vital skills such as marketing, business management, finance, operations and business continuity,” she said. However Morapedi also mentioned that NDB is aware of challenges that women face such as access to finance, technology and market information. Other partners that have come on board to support this initiative by NDB include Local Enterprise Authority, Department of Gender Affairs, Urban Motions Communications and Botswana National Youth Council. These partners also assessed the participants’ applications.
One of the winners, Supang said “ I would like to thank NDB for giving me and other women this opportunity through this initiative and I promise to make everyone proud.” Kabelo, who runs a day care centre, also thanked the bank for the opportunity.
Supang runs an agriculture business online portal, which disseminates agriculture information as well as supporting and developing agribusiness locally.
According to Morapedi, Ikgantsheng will be an annual competition, as this will give other women a chance to win the money too. “ It is disappointing to know that women in business account for a mere 35% in Southern Africa and about 28% are in economic decision making positions.
Therefore NDB supports women and their organisations such as Women In Business Association and Gender Affairs Women Expo,” she said.
This year the bank is celebrating 51 years in operation.