Mbira exponent eyes top award

director Ms Busi Bango are already in Qatar to join four other African women shortlisted for the prize.
Ten women from Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Jordan, Nigeria, Panama, Uganda, Vietnam and Zimbabwe are gunning for the top prize.
First, second and third place prize winners of this year’s edition of the Empretec award will be determined by a distinguished panel of judges today.
The award is given to budding women entrepreneurs who developed innovative business ideas that create jobs and income for their communities.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development sponsors the Empretec initiative to encourage entrepreneurship in developing nations.
“The award has made a real impact on the lives of past recipients, increasing their access to (entrepreneurial) education and resources as well as their motivation to continue growing their business,” said Unctad. The UN agency added that the special recognition by Empretec has helped women become role models in their communities as they are seen as successful micro-entrepreneurs working to improve people’s lives.
The Zimbabwean nominee for the award is founder and leader of Barbara Nyika Mbira Group. She also runs Mbira Training Academy.
Both the mbira group and the training academy were formed in 2007. The music group has 14 members, who double as lecturers at the Mbira academy, which has 24 students.
Nyika said her selection was the culmination of a rigorous training programme she went through since 2009. They received training in confidence building, grant management, project proposal and business planning.
She said she had gained insightful knowledge about running her arts ensemble as a successful business that is now sustaining her and her family.
Nyika said she was a little nervous about her prospects of landing the award, but pointed out that she was confident of bringing the prize home.
“It has been a hectic week for me as I have been trying to prepare and find my composure, but I am really confident I will get the award,” she said.
“As an artiste I used to do things haphazardly. I received training from Empretec and that has helped me a lot (in managing the arts business),” she said.