Avail entrepreneurs with data – Kaseba

First Lady Christine Kaseba has called for a further examination of gender-specific barriers that exclude women from the mainstream entrepreneurship in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region.
She said women should have access to effective enterprise information, education, training, improved access to credit and financial services, business premises and access to forward contracts.
She was speaking here on Wednesday during the 17th COMESA first spouses’ roundtable meeting.
“Women entrepreneurs are overlooked and undervalued and in many instances they have to grapple with low levels of financing,” Dr Kaseba said.
She said despite strides by governments to strengthen an entrepreneurship culture, very few women engaged in micro, small-and medium-scale entrepreneurship (MSME) are able to finance their expansion through cash flow and have to explore external sources of funding.
“Direct equity financing sources and seed money to start up businesses comes from friends, professional contacts and family, which is not sustainable,” Dr Kaseba said.
Each year, COMESA facilitates round-table meetings, where first spouses share experiences and ideas on how to improve the well-being of vulnerable and marginalised women in the region.
Dr Kaseba said entrepreneurship is subjected to negative stereotypes.
She said when one speaks of a female entrepreneur, what comes to mind is a woman selling foodstuff along the road.
Dr Kaseba said MSMEs play an important role in the economic and social development of individual countries, thus improving the quality of life for many households through wealth and job creation.
She said Zambia has developed policies and strategies aimed at unlocking and maximising the huge potential of the sector.
Dr Kaseba said Government is using the Zambia Development Agency, Citizens’ Economic Empowerment Commission and inter-ministerial collaboration to reduce administrative barriers to MSMEs.
And DRC First Lady Marie Olive Lemba Kabila said the development of MSMEs is important for job creation and poverty reduction.
Mrs Kabila said MSMEs are faced with many challenges that include lack of access to capital, low saving levels and high lending rates from banks.
She urged COMESA to ensure effective participation of women in trade at national and international levels and to facilitate their capacity building.