MANZINI – Driven by the passion to assist government in its quest to build a competitive economy, business women in the country have since been encouraged to work harder, in unity and explore every available opportunity for economic growth.
Through the Regional Enterprise Competitiveness and Access to Markets Programme (RECAMP), the women entrepreneurs have decided that government should find them already trying something.
Over 50 women entrepreneurs representing several women organizations that empowers women in the business sector participated in a three day workshop that was hosted by Eswatini – Comesa Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB) at Alcon House in Manzini.
The workshop was funded by COMESA in the view to put a program in place to empower women under COMESA region. The main subject that COMESA was more interested in the Ae Trade Sokokuu so that women are able to do business online. For this regard, COMFWB Regional has signed and MoU Ae Trade Sokokuu to do business at a 50 per cent discount.
For three days, the attendees were capacitated on how to sustain their businesses, support each other and what are the important points for starting a successful business.
When closing the training, COMFWB Chairperson and Manzini South Member of Parliament Thandi Nxumalo said time has come that all business women in the Kingdom of Eswatini get registered so that they can get the support they deserve from government in order to sustain their businesses. Nxumalo stated that COMFWB has in its strategic programme formulated platforms to assist women entrepreneurs on how to sustain their business and also helping them find markets. In addition, the federation is targeting to provide funding. She said COMESA charter has provided a programme, approved by His Majesty the King, to fund female entrepreneurs establish businesses.
Giving an example, the politician stated that a woman organization (through the BIAWE project) in Hlathikhulu has received a funding amounting to E2 million for their newly established agri-business – production of Indigenous chicken. Nxumalo emphasized that COMFWB currently does not work with individuals but instead its members are mainly organizations. She said the federation is currently devising a plan on how to visit all the country’s regions where representatives will be nominated to form part of COMFWB executive.
“We are grateful that today we are concluding our training. Please go back and share everything that you have learnt from the workshop. It is time for every women entrepreneur to be registered. As women we have a huge role to assist the country grow its economy. Let us start supporting each other and grow together in business,” she said.
Meanwhile, Manzini Regional Administrator Chief Gija Dlamini said Eswatini economy cannot improve if women in the country are left behind. He said women play a pivotal role in building a warm family, hence their importance in assisting government on economic growth.
“We all know that starting a business needs investments and we believe government will quickly respond to this initiative. Government should invest on local SMEs following that a lot products that the country is capable of producing is imported from neighbouring countries,” he said.
ABOUT COMFWB
The Comesa Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB) is a COMESA institution which was established in July 1993 in Zimbabwe with the endorsement of the Authority (made up of Heads of States and Governments of the COMESA member states). COMFWB acts as a forum for the exchange of ideas and experience among women entrepreneurs; an instrument through which the appropriate portion of COMESA Women in Development Programmes are implemented; a forum for network among women entrepreneurs and an instrument for encouraging women to set up or expand existing enterprises.
