The gathering was held under the theme, “Reimagining Your Business for a Better Future,” and delivered on its mission to equip women-owned Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with practical skills, strategic insights and invaluable networking opportunities. Absa Bank Botswana’s Acting Head of Communications, Spencer Moreri, said when women thrive, economies prosper. He added that by equipping female entrepreneurs with the right tools and knowledge, they transform individual businesses and strengthen Botswana’s entire economic ecosystem. “As a bank deeply committed to inclusivity and growth, we recognise that women are participants in the economy, as well as its architects. “This series represents our pledge to dismantle barriers and amplify their impact,” Moreri said. For her part, Absa Bank Botswana’s Compliance Training and Monitoring Officer, Gaongalelwe Rapelang said it was key for businesses in the SME sector to familiarise themselves with new labour laws in a bid to ensure compliance. She stressed the need for proper record keeping including financial records, contracts, employees files and customer data to drive business growth. Equally, Rapelang emphasised the importance of staff training , equipment use, compliance and creating a clear complaint process. For example, she suggested they should have a social media officer who responds to customers' questions and queries. She also encouraged business owners to take care of their employees so that they can be happy and deliver in the workplace. The women entrepreneurs were also equipped with taxation knowledge with ABSA Botswana Tax manager, Oreeditse Mathepe, discussing business tax basics and providing practical tools to support sustainable business growth. He urged the business owners to build a tax compliance into their daily business system and separate their business and personal finances as required by the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS). “If you do the right thing; BURS , accountants and auditors are your best friends,” Mathepe told the gathering. He noted that record keeping is crucial for survival of businesses and that complying with tax regulations will be good for their businesses. Drector of KDM Global, Koziba Malibala, suggested that relevant stakeholders such as Business Botswana, City Council and Department of Labour should be invited at future forums to further discuss laws and regulations affecting entrepreneurs.
