By Silvia Nyambura
Over 150 Ugandan business women are set to benefit from a 2 day summit organized by Zimba Group under its ZimbaWomen flagship project. Slated for the 28th and 29th of September 2016, the summit will be held under the theme ‘Breaking business barriers. It will provide a platform for women entrepreneurs to exhibit and grow their businesses, interact with other already established business women and build an entrepreneurial support network. It also aims at opening discussions on the roles of government institutions in the growth and development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and in facilitating activities to contribute to regional growth. In addition, the summit will highlight the role of private sector and financial institutions as key factors in building a self-sustainable ecosystem for SMEs.
Speaking at a press conference held this morning at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, the ZimbaWomen project Chief Operations Officer Peace Kuteesa said, “We have an eventful program line up that will front a Business Women’s Executive program, an Executive event on gender, a business roadshow, a mentorship program launch as well as interactive question and answers sessions.”
The event is organized under partnerships with several other institutions including the United States of America Mission in Uganda, audit firm Deloitte, Uganda Investments Authority, International Trade Center, to mention but a few.
Nile Coles the Cultural Affairs Officer at the American Embassy said, “Investing in a woman is investing in a whole nation for generations to come. Equality does not mean making one gender better than the other but rather providing equal opportunities.”
Allan Chekwech Steps into Daniel Kalinaki's Big Shoes at NMG UgandaZimba Group is an IT solutions provider specializing in provision of technical and software solutions for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Under the ZimbaWomen project, the company aims at creating opportunities for women to actively, safely and fairly participate in the economy by providing access to skills and training.
“Our business model is structured to help SMEs get improved market access by making the best out of social digital platforms like Facebook and so on. According to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), the country currently has a mobile phone penetration of 56%. These means more and more people have access to information through these devices. We believe SMEs connected to the digital space and that are using social media are running more successful businesses than those still stuck in traditional platforms,” she added.
The ZimbaWomen project activities include entrepreneurship training, business coaching, mentoring, knowledge transfer, customized business training, access to networks and resources as well as increased business exposure and linkages.
