The creation of a policy environment that supports women to become involved in small enterprise will be central to a two-day forum being convened by Self Help Africa in Zambia, next week.
Delegates representing the international development community, government and business will attend the event, which will be officially opened by First Lady Esther Lungu, at The Southern Sun Hotel on Tuesday, 26th January next.
“We have convened this event to both stimulate dialogue on the subject, and to look at ways that obstacles to the participation of rural women in small business can be removed,” country director Kalongo Chitengi says.
Keynote speakers at the event will include representatives from the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, and from the Ministry for Gender.
The event will seek to assess the effectiveness of current policies in promoting and supporting marginalised women in rural enterprise, and to support measures that can help women to engage in small and medium enterprise.
“A wide range of obstacles and issues need to be addressed if we are to get rural women involved in enterprise development, including poor education, limited business skills, lack of start-up capital and issues surrounding the traditional role that women play in our society,” Self Help Africa’s country director added.