Women asked to venture into non-traditional businesses with ambitious growth, profit plans

NAIROBI, KENYA: African women have been urged to venture into non-traditional businesses with ambitious growth and profit plans. African Development Bank ( AfDB) Special Envoy on Gender Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi emphasised the need for
women to dare and get into non-traditional business ventures such as those in the extractive industry and construction which are some of the drivers of economic growth on the continent.

She also encouraged the women to network and form conglomerates that would be future blue chip companies on the continent. Moleketi made the remarks in a speech delivered by Linet Miriti, Senior Gender Specialist during an African Women Linkage forum in Nairobi last month.
About 100 African business women attended the three-day meeting organised by the Chairperson of the Bureau of the African Union in partnership with the UNDP Regional Services Centre. The forum sought to enhance women's leadership in public and private sector institutions at both national and regional levels. Moleketi highlighted four main barriers encountered by women in small, and medium enterprises. 

These include limitation of accessible, affordable and appropriate financing of women's business choices and the gender digital divide, as well as limited social capital. She noted that the AfDB in advancing its gender strategy is looking for ways to address financing and is proposing the establishment of funds to address the needs of women in SMEs. 

She noted that there was a need to support the growth of women's businesses at all levels, in order to contribute to meaningful poverty alleviation.

standard  digital