Women in Business Association Botswana (WIBA) will host a high tea party in a bid to unlock the full potential of women who aspire to be in business. Although women owned businesses in Botswana constitute approximately 75% of all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), women have raised concerns over the lack of forums where they can meet and share business ideas.
Over the past few years, women have taken it upon themselves to meet monthly to discuss and share ideas through the ‘motshelo’ forum. Although a number of women have benefited from motshelo, WIBA is taking a step further by hosting a high tea party simply entitled: ‘WIBA Motshelo high tea party’.
In an interview with The Telegraph, WIBA Vice President Nametso Ntsosa Carr said, “The whole aim of this event is to embrace women in business. We want to inspire wealth creation and promote the participation of women in the economy through advocacy, mentoring and linkages all through the help of motshelo”.
She also revealed that successful and aspiring businesswomen will also be present at the high tea party. “We have women who have built houses, bought cars, and started businesses with their motshelo savings and profits. Having them at the event to inspire other women is such an honour to us,” said Carr.
Also on their guest list is Barclays Bank’s Reinette Van Der Merwe who will be the high tea party’s guest speaker. “We invited Barclays Bank as it is the only bank in Botswana that allows motshelo accounts to be opened by its customers. With them present, our guests can be tutored on these accounts as many are not enlightened about the Barclays Bank motshelo account,” she says.
In the interview, Carr urged all women interested in business to attend the event as it has great potential to empower them. She said Tebelelo Seretse, Sally Pillar and Sprint Couriers’ Pinky Setlalekgosi will be mentors as they started small in business but finished big.
The WIBA motshelo high tea party has been slated for March 12th, from 1400hrs to 1700hrs at the Avani Hotel. Stall sales are already ongoing at only P750.
