Monica Cheru
Zimbabwean businesswomen should leverage the opportunity to network and strike mutually beneficial deals with women from all continents at a global event slated for later this year.
Speaking at a forum hosted by the Indian Embassy in Harare, Madhya Pradesh Association of Women Entrepreneurs president and Haylide Chemicals MD, Dr Archana Bhatnagar said she is inviting Zimbabwean women to the 2023 Business Beyond Borders international exhibition and conference in Jabalpur this September.
She said the potential of women is amazing and the expo is an ideal platform to give them the push to go higher.
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Women business leaders from 25 countries participated at the 2022 edition of Business Beyond Borders. Zimbabwe was not present.
Dr Bhatnagar said she has had to learn from the bottom up and appreciates that it is not easy for women to claim their stake in the economy.
“I went to the bank and applied for a loan. They asked me what I knew about business, and I couldn’t respond. They threw me out. But that humiliation taught me to fight for what I want.”
Gracefully fierce, Dr Bhatanagar said her growth as a businesswoman can be seen in comapring the loan that she used to start her business to what she can get from the bank now.
That first loan was worth 10 percent of the value of her husband’s property that the couple had to put up as collateral and today, she can get multiples of that with no collateral - just sound business proposals.
This resonated with Zimbabwean women entrepreneurs present as collateral and expensive loans deters women from growing in business.
“By working together, you can influence policy so that concessionary loans for women become available,” said Dr Bhatanagar, sharing how MAWE has helped shape pro-women economic policies in India.
A representative from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Financial Inclusion Unit said that while some progress has been made towards the goal, Zimbabwe does not yet have a policy for women sensitive loan schemes so it is an area where advocacy can make a difference.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries CEO, Mrs Sekai Kuvarika said that the MAWE story is an inspirational one as a multiplicity of voices in female empowerment stories allows every woman to develop in her own way without being boxed into a particular definition.
CAG Coaches director, Dr Afra Nhanhanga spoke of how she was groomed to be an entrepreneur from an early age and learnt to stand firm as a girl when she became a bus conductor and a target for sexual predators because of her age and gender.
Ambassador of india to Zimbabwe Mr Vijay Khanduja said he hopes to see some definitive results from the meeting that would result in a win-win relationship between women from the two countries.
“It was a learning curve and sharing experiences between the two sides.
“And a number of ideas came up. I think there is a lot of potential in forming linkages from learning from each other’s best practices,” said Ambassador Khanduja.
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said he does not believe in talking about women empowerment as women are already empowered and what they need is to start believing in their own potential and reach out for growth.
Other female business leaders at the forum included Nyaradzo general manager Mrs Mavis Mataranyika, Women Owned founding trustee Mrs Linda Longwe-Musesengwa and CA-turned farmer, Ms Chiedza Mahovo.
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