PRESS RELEASE
Immediate Release
The Graça Machel Trust celebrates the first graduates of its Women Creating Wealth (WCW) Programme
Celebrating 91 women entrepreneur graduates from Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania
Johannesburg, 1st December 2016
The Graça Machel Trust believes that the economic development of the continent requires the inclusive and sustained participation of women at all levels and across all sectors. However, it is widely acknowledged that women owned enterprises only account for one third of all businesses operating in the formal economy. In most African countries the majority of these businesses are micro and small enterprises and their businesses struggle to grow beyond national averages. The challenges faced by entrepreneurs negatively impacts their capability and capacity to grow their businesses, leading to women not being able to realise their full potential and become meaningful contributors of job creation and Africa’s socio-economic development.
Gaining insights of the barriers women face from its members in the Network of African Business Women (NABW), the Trust created an enterprise development programme aptly named, Women Creating Wealth, to directly tackle the challenges being faced by women entrepreneurs. Issues ranged from balancing multiple roles and domestic responsibilities; aversion to taking risks and planning for the future; structural and legal barriers; lack of access to resources, such as land and finance; lack of proper management skills and business information, as well as poor management of working capital.
Graça Machel Trust, Chief Executive Officer, Nomsa Daniels says, “We know that when women are economically empowered they are able to take control of their lives, set their own agendas, provide solutions to their problems and challenges, and develop self-reliance. We need to raise the aspiration of women entrepreneurs in Africa to go beyond a subsistence- driven mind-set to that of wealth creation so that it becomes the catalyst for future generations. Through the Women Creating Wealth Programme, we are stretching women entrepreneurs to not just be happy to own a guest house but to aspire to owning a hotel or chain of hotels.”
Launched in Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi with just under 100 women initially, the overall vision of the Trust’s Women Creating Wealth Programme is to develop a critical mass of businesswomen across Africa, leading to sustained growth and wealth generation. At the same time these women entrepreneurs will serve as positive role models, business leaders and community builders that the Trust believes will inspire even more women to dare to be more than they thought they could ever be.
Driving the WCW programme is Korkor Cudjoe, the Trust’s Women’s Rights Programme Manager. An entrepreneur herself, Cudjoe shares why she believes the programme offered by the Trust is unique and is not just about growing a business but also the personal growth of the entrepreneur. “The programme takes a holistic approach to address the issues that are holding women back from getting to the next level of their business development. The biggest problem I see is their self-belief and mindset change. We need programmes that not only helps to address confidence building but takes a deeper look at what must be done for a women entrepreneur to be more successful.
Business skills and competencies must be entrenched, she says. “The women have also found great value in belonging to the Women Creating Wealth networks as well as, being connected to the Trust’s broader regional women’s networks namely, Network of African Business Women, African Women in Agribusiness, New Faces New Voices and Women in Media.”
Feedback from the graduates reflect not only reflect the business and personal growth lessons learnt but also the actions they have taken to take their businesses to the next level. Mrs. Pumulo Nyanthando, a 60 year old fashion designer from Zambia with no previous IT skills before the programme, has now hired a tutor to improve her technology skills. “I have now used Google to teach myself how to make hats and shoes as part of expanding my business offering.”
Better management of finances is a critical component of the WCW programme. Victoria Chirwa, a graduate from Zambia, shared that the finance module has totally changed her business. “I used to carelessly use my finances without proper budgeting, but now I know how to manage my resources in a more diligent manner.”
Graduates from Malawi have taken the training a step further and are now actively reaching out to the business community to share their knowledge and insights. Midred Chirwa uses her high profile in local media to motivate other young business women to push themselves and find innovative ways to grow their businesses, whilst Chikondi Chongwe represented Malawian women in the creative industry at a fair held in Morocco in October this year. Ngaba Chatata, also undertakes local training and recently represented the country a government business delegation to Kenya.
The Trust celebrates the journey and achievements of all the women entrepreneurs who have participated in the Women Creating Wealth Programme and will be hosting three graduation ceremonies that will take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on 1st December 2016; Lusaka, Zambia on 3rd December 2016 and in Lilongwe, Malawi on 7th December 2016 respectively.
/ENDS
EDITORS NOTES:
Women Creating Wealth (WCW) Programme
Launched in Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi the Trust’s Women’s Rights Programme identified women entrepreneurs at different levels of business and across various sectors including construction, the creative industries, agri-business, agro-processing, services and retail.
The WCW programme prioritised the small business category, as has the biggest growth potential for women entrepreneurs. The businesses were selected using stringent criteria, which included:
Identifying growth oriented women from the targeted business sectors
Approximately 40 businesses were targeted to make the final selection
Business experience of at least 2-3 years was required, and
The business needed an operating turnover of between $20,000 – $100,000 per annum.
In partnership with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) Empretec initiative, the one-year programme focussed on entrepreneurial competencies development such as identifying business opportunities, systematic planning and monitoring; improving the efficiency and quality of their products and services; financial literacy, improving decision making, negotiation and networking.
Held across each of the three countries, the Aftercare AIM sessions took the form of workshops offering coaching interventions to inspire entrepreneurs to do more and hold them accountable to the plans and goals that had been set. The sessions included reinforcement and mastery of the competencies learnt and moreover helped to boost confidence levels. The women were also exposed to market expansion training and engagements with key stakeholder to help improve their offerings to penetrate or grow new markets.
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ABOUT:
The Graça Machel Trust
The Graça Machel Trust is an advocacy organisation that works across the continent to drive positive change across women’s and children’s rights, as well as governance and leadership. Through our support of local initiatives and connecting key stakeholders at a regional, national and sub-national level, we help to catalyse action where it is needed. By using our convening power the Trust seeks to amplify the voices of women and children in Africa; influence governance; and promote women’s contributions and leadership in the economic social and political development of Africa.
ABOUT:
Network of African Business Women (NABW)
The Network for African Business Women (NABW) is currently the biggest network in terms of membership numbers. Launched in 2011 the network aims to strengthen business women’s associations, identify existing business women and shape them into growth-oriented entrepreneurs. The network provides an effective platform for women to freely, equitably and effectively participate in the economic development of their countries through the establishment of sustainable business ventures and in different sectors.
For more information on the Women Creating Wealth Programme or the Women’s Rights Networks, contact:
Korkor Cudjoe, Graça Machel Trust, Women’s Rights Programme Manager
Email: korkorc@gracamacheltrust.org
Issued By:
Graça Machel Trust
Communications Department
Email: info@gracamacheltrust.org – website: www.gracamacheltrust.org
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting children’s rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Children’s Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescents’ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trust’s goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a mother’s health and social economic conditions, the early years of a child’s life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.