by Chengetai Madziwa – SANF 04 no 54
Women in southern Africa are intensifying their efforts towards economic recognition as they seek to become more involved in business activities in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
The upcoming Women in Business (WIB) SADC Fair and Investment Forum to be held on 21-27 June in Gaborone will give women from all 14 SADC countries an opportunity to strengthen the struggle against economic marginalisation through sharing of experiences.
The fair, running on the theme “Global partnership for women in business – Women let’s join hands for change,” is an opportunity for women in the region to “expose themselves to what other women are doing and to realise new markets for their products,” said Marty Legwaila, Director at the Botswana Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs -Women’s Affairs Department.
“Women are usually left behind in economic activities and the fair is an attempt to empower women to become more active in business and to participate in trade in the region,” she said.
The objectives of the WIB-SADC Fair are to ensure economic empowerment of women through the creation of opportunities for women in business, expose them to new and appropriate technologies, share ideas on the maximum exploitation and utilisation of raw materials and to promote intra-regional trade among southern African women.
In the past, opportunities for women to diversify their economic roles beyond semi-subsistence food production, casual employment and small-scale marketing have not been readily available. Low levels of education have also inhibited their participation in mainstream economic activities.
In southern Africa, women represent more than 50 percent of the total population, yet they are in the minority when it comes to meaningful participation in national economic development.
Businesswomen in SADC are also still lagging behind their counterparts in other regions on the continent who have already made tremendous steps in raising the awareness of women involved in ‘serious’ business, noted Legwaila.
The WIB fair targets as many women as possible, including rural women, to access a network of businesswomen that will assist them with, among other benefits, sourcing for input materials and an export market for their products within the region.
In a bid to increase the role that women play in SADC economies, member states established Women in Business organisations, which have proved vital in assisting women, realise their economic potential.
It was through these organisations that women entrepreneurs in the region realised the necessity of working together and formed a network called the Women in Business-SADC Network (WIB-SADC). The concept was pioneered by the Women in Business and Skills Development in Zimbabwe and adopted in 1996 by WIB organisations within the SADC region.
The first fair was held in Zimbabwe in 1998, followed by Namibia in 2000 and Malawi in 2002. The fair is commented for having enabled a number of women to break free from the traditional female businesses such as arts, crafts and textiles. A lot of women are venturing into construction, mining, tourism, and manufacturing, areas that have for a long time been dominated by their male counterparts.
In this regard, the WIB fair “offers a platform for business women to break away from the isolation of being small scale producers by giving their products commercial exposure and providing a forum for discussion on constraints faced by women in business,” said Dolitta Mpofu, president of Women In Business-Zimbabwe.
She said that the fair is a “confidence building” experience for businesswomen as they are encouraged to realise their potential through interactions with other women in the region.
The fair will also draw other stakeholders such as bankers, shipping companies, customs officials and other experts who interact with the businesswomen in order to build their capacity in entrepreneurship skills.
The Botswana Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, David Mogami will officially open the 2004 fair. (SARDC)
