Chronicle Editor
Sikhulekelani Moyo, Business Reporter
WOMEN entrepreneurs have been urged to establish partnerships and form associations that help them to increase production capacity to supply export markets.
Speaking at a “Next She Exporter” meeting, which sought to train female producers on exporting in Bulawayo yesterday, ZimTrade marketing specialist Nozipho Maphala said some of the women entrepreneurs fail to meet demand on their own as they are still small.
In such a scenario, partnerships are helpful and women should associate themselves with those who are in the same line of production.
“We have women who are in the same business sector and it will help if you partner with each other as that will help to improve capacity utilisation,” said Maphala.
“Some customers need huge quantities of products and as partnerships you are able to supply any quantities.
“As ZimTrade we receive so many businesses who need help but you find out that the sector has a lot of players who would have partnered and solve their problems as a group.”
The ‘Next She Exporter’ programme was recently introduced by ZimTrade to groom and mentor women entrepreneurs so that they can be able to produce for exports.
The workshop brought women from different parts of the Southern region including those who are from rural areas who came to learn how to produce goods and services for the export market.
In an interview, one of the entrepreneurs, Mrs Sibusisiwe Chitewe, who is into agriculture value addition said it was important to create partnerships so that they bring different ideas together and rise from where they are.
She said the agriculture sector has producers of raw products and others doing value addition like producing dried food and manufactured products.
“If we partner, we will be able to grow and that will help the country as we will be contributing to the gross domestic product,” said Mrs Chitewe.
She said women were in both productive and reproductive sector, which prohibit them from fully participating in economic development programmes.
However, she said the Next She Exporter programme will help women in business to be able to balance business and other things.
“Next She Exporter will allow us to be able to export our products as we are trained to produce quality products and be able to meet with the market,” said Mrs Chitewe.
“Most people think exporting goods is easy but it needs a lot of efforts so that you can be able to meet what the market needs through trainings and dedication to provide the best.”
She said the programme will also help them to know the importance of abiding to the laws of the land in business, as this will help them to be able to embrace laws from countries they will be exporting to.
“We need to learn how the law functions as we produce our products and also to make sure that our products are acceptable locally before we even think of exports,” said Mrs Chitewe.
— @SikhulekelaniM1
Online Reporter