US Embassy launches programme to assist female entrepreneurs
Pauline Dikuelo | Friday May 29, 2015 14:15
African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP), which was spearheaded by the United States of America (USA), was celebrating its fifth anniversary through the launch. The programme now has about 65 members from an initial five in 2010.
Speaking at the launch, AWEP Botswana chairperson, Chigedze Chinyepi said the objective of the launch was to create awareness of the organisation and its aim of transforming economies through sustainable development.
“The AWEP provides professional networking, business development, trade capacity building opportunities and encourages a greater focus on science, technology engineering and mathematics amongst its young and upcoming women entrepreneurs,” she said. Chinyepi noted that AWEP was developing business leaders to grow from small to medium and those in medium to large size enterprises and become voices for social advocacy in their communities and the nation at large. She added that they would be working with other chapters in the region to collaborate and complement existing women organisations in entrepreneurship or gender equality, advocating for policies that negatively impact women in doing business.
“Our exchanges are designed to help participants build business alliances, develop advocacy and communication skills, identify resources to advance entrepreneurship and take advantage of opportunities in the business sphere,” she said.
Chinyepi was one of the first beneficiaries of the programme in 2010, where 34 African businesswomen from African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)-eligible countries travelled to the US for a two-week programme. The beneficiaries were from different sectors that included agro-business and food processing, arts and crafts, apparel, textile hospitality and tourism.
“At the time, we outlined three goals of accelerating growth of women-owned businesses, fostering leadership for women business organisations and support advocacy for women economic empowerment,” she said. For his part, the USA Ambassador to Botswana, Earl Miller, urged women entrepreneurs to fully utilise the opportunity, which could help them export their products to the international market especially the USA, through the AGOA project. Currently, AWEP has about four beneficiaries with the fifth one, Boitshoko Kebakile, scheduled to go to visit the USA in July this year.
The other beneficiaries include last year’s beneficiary Matilda Mpai, as well as the 2013 beneficiary, Mmapula Letshabo.