Educated women doing well in business must help their folk

North Western Province permanent secretary Augustine Seyuba has implored educated women who are doing well in business to help uplift the welfare of fellow women who are poor in the province.

Addressing at a North Western Chamber of Commerce and Industry breakfast meeting at Solwezi Royal Hotel, Mr Seyuba noted that it is said that when you educate a woman, you feed the whole village.

He said women in business must incorporate women in the most rural parts of the province in order to improve their living standards while creating employment opportunities at the same time.

He said a lot of business opportunities abound in all sectors of the economy in North Western province especially in agriculture, mining, transport, education and health.

He urged the women entrepreneurs to take up the mantle and become the drivers of the economy in North Western province, especially through agro and food processing which is one of the subsectors that government is supporting.

The PS said that government was committed to raise the living standards of women through various empowerment programmes.

He cited the Citizens Economic Fund under the ministry of commerce as an example of empowerment programmes.

He said the fund has a new strategy focusing on value chain development that will entail agriculture produce being processed and value added for export, with 30 percent of the fund meant to support rural areas and women are the main intended beneficiary.

“It will do me proud, and indeed the government, to see our local produce being manufactured for export purposes, while at the same time enjoying a market share in our local shops,” Mr Seyuba said.

Meanwhile Africa Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) has commended government for the support it is rendering to micro, small and medium enterprises in the country.

Dorothy Eriksson

AWEP Zambian chapter vice chairperson, Dorothy Eriksson, made the commendation today at Solwezi Royal Hotel during a breakfast meeting orgainsed by North Western Chamber of Commerce and Industry for women entrepreneurs.

Ms Eriksson said AWEP is hopeful that government will revise the micro, small and medium enterprises policy to accommodate many changes in the ever changing in the local and global business environment.

She said women in business were keen to explore many opportunities that exist to start processing local organic foods for export.

However, she said the opportunities are hampered by challenges including high interest rates, bad roads and electricity outages.

She said export goods need to move fast to meet flight deadlines, but roads to get to rural areas where local organic vegetables, fruits and products like honey are found are in a bad state and must be improved.

AWEP is an initiative mooted by former USA secretary of state Hillary Clinton that aims to empower women in business through export so that they become voices of change in their communities.

Ms Eriksson urged government to support initiatives that will enable Zambian exporters to gain hygiene certification.

She said government is assured to accelerate its desire to put money in people’s pockets by supporting initiatives by the private sector to gain global hygiene certification for food and various agro products meant for export.