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Tendai Rupapa in VICTORIA FALLS
WOMEN must harness their collective power to drive positive impact and create a better world for all, empowerment champion First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa has said.
Officially opening the historic conference for Zimbabwean women in business and their Belarusian counterparts, Dr Mnangagwa underscored the need for women to remain focused in their entrepreneurial journeys and not to pull down one another’s business potential.
The first of its kind conference which was held concurrently with the United Nations Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Forum for Africa was attended by Angolan First Lady Mrs Ana Dias Lourenço and representatives of First Ladies from other African countries including Equatorial Guinea and local female ministers and their deputies.
The Belarusian business delegation arrived in Harare on July 24, and immediately got down to business with their counterparts.
It also toured businesses being run by women appreciating their efforts and finding areas of cooperation.
The delegation later travelled to Victoria Falls on July 26, and attended the gastronomy tourism forum before continuing with meetings with Zimbabwean women in business on the sidelines of the forum.
They were also taken to curio markets in Victoria Falls where they had an appreciation of ornaments being made by women.
The aim of the conference, Dr Mnangagwa said, was to encourage women to be in business and to build relationships amongst themselves and also with the international group that came to Zimbabwe.
“Your Excellency and distinguished guests, fellow women entrepreneurs, I am honoured to address this historic gathering of businesswomen from Zimbabwe and Belarus.
“Our two nations have embarked on a remarkable journey of mutual discovery and cooperation and I am thrilled to see women at the forefront of this initiative. As we gather here today, we celebrate the boundless potential of women in business.
“We recognise the unique challenges we face, but more importantly we embrace the opportunities that our collaboration presents. Our countries share a common vision to empower women to drive economic growth and to foster sustainable development,” she said.
Belarusian women in business delegation and their Zimbabwean counterparts follow proceedings during the women in business conference in Victoria Falls
Dr Mnangagwa urged women to work together, sharing ideas for the prosperity of their business ventures.
“Whatever you are in, whatever you are working on, today we want you to reveal it and we want to see that grow from strength to strength. How do you do it? By working together. Most women have this syndrome of pulling one another down. What you say in your mouth about somebody’s business, either makes or breaks the business. What has brought us together today as women, is the need to work hard for our families. Therefore, that pull down syndrome should end today. Your working relations should escalate and you should be there to help each other.
“When you see one of your friends prospering, go and ask how are you doing it? She should also be able to come to your workplace and say why don’t you do it this way than gossiping, destroying one another. As women, tinofanira kusimudzirana kwete kudonhedzerana pasi,” she said.
Amai Mnangagwa urged the business community to use social media responsibly.
“I want you to use social media in a way that benefits you and others around you not to post things that destroy each other. You can even use social media to explore opportunities. By exploring business opportunities together, we can create a brighter future for our nation and for generations to come. I want you women to establish business relationships and networks. Start networking,” she said.
The mother of the nation implored women to always focus on constructive things.
“Be focused always as this will bring positive results. If you do too many things at once, there is nothing that will come to fruition. Just go for one thing at a time,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa emphasised the need for women in business to forge lasting bonds and find innovative ways to collaborate.
“I encourage you to embrace this moment to forge lasting connections and to explore innovative ways to collaborate. Let us leverage our collective expertise, creativity and resilience to overcome obstacles to achieve greatness. Obstacles are those that I was talking about, social media, pulling each other down. Rumour mongering, being a conveyor belt of gossip. We don’t want that madzimai. Be women of substance, women of virtue. Be dignified women who live exemplary lives. Your dressing defines you. What comes out of your mouth defines you as well. The way you associate with others, defines you. Today your Belarusian counterparts are here. The way you will interact with them, should also tell the kind of person you are. I have brought my friends along, the First Lady of Angola and some of the representatives sent by their First Ladies. I will give them a chance to talk to us briefly because we are here to build each other. We want them to give us some advice,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa said it was critical for women to support each other’s entrepreneurial journeys.
“We support each other’s entrepreneurial journeys as women. We are agents of change in our families, in communities, in our country Zimbabwe. Let us harness our collective power to drive positive impact and create a better world for all. What I want to urge you is don’t just sit here, let’s talk, let’s communicate,” she said.
Angolan First Lady Mrs Lourenço was full of praise for her counterpart Dr Mnangagwa.
“I am super excited and inspired that the First Lady of Zimbabwe put together many women including those from Belarus to empower each other. Consciously, she put together synergies and great opportunities between the women of Zimbabwe and Belarusians. As the First Lady of Angola, I don’t have any special programme specifically for women like what Dr Mnangagwa does. I am working with the communities whom I empower. However, I am happy that in Angola our law provides for equal opportunities for men and women, regardless of gender. If you educate a woman, you have educated the whole nation,” she said.
Representative of Equatorial Guinea First Lady Constancia Mangue Obiang, Ms Katalina Martinez Asumu praised Dr Mnangagwa for hosting the women’s forum.
“On behalf of the First Lady of Equatorial Guinea, I have the honour to be part of this event and this forum. We are talking about women; we are talking about us with the huge potential that we have. The First Lady of Equatorial Guinea also empowers women. She loves to be surrounded by women and she is driving the women strategy of Equatorial Guinea. I am happy that Dr Mnangagwa is an empowerment champion,” she said.
Mrs Volha Shpilevskaya, head of Belarussian Women Union said they named their partnership Zim-Bel.
“We want our projects as Zim-Bel to come to life as fast as we came here. We have seen by our own eyes a wonderful splendid country and also wonderful tough and focused women.
We will try to work hard and come up with some defined projects on these grounds,” she said.
She thanked the First Lady for inviting them to Zimbabwe.
Media practitioner Merit Munzwembiri described the historic conference as empowering.
“In her wisdom, the First Lady was quick to organise a reciprocal trip for Belarusian women to come for a conference here in Zimbabwe and for that we thank and appreciate you Amai. The knowledge and exchanges that have been happening here since they arrived, have been massive and great. We are also learning a lot from the team from Belarus,” she said.
Mrs Chipo Mandela saluted the First Lady for her exploits.
“The few women that went to Belarus imparted to others what they learnt so that we become a nation of powerful women. Amai, thank you for the challenge you have given us as women. It is now upon us to make sure that we make it successful. To the women of Zimbabwe, here is the challenge that we have been given by our mother. It is now incumbent upon us to come up with something tangible. In addition, as our mother has said, let us be organised women and not be like the cooking stick of a lazy woman that is cleaned as the relish is boiling,” she said.
Online Reporter