Business women to benefit from financing

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Business women to benefit from financing

8:09 CAT | 02 Oct 2017

O País

Women entrepreneurs will benefit from bank financing and technical assistance in implementing projects within the framework of an ICEF and BCI project.

The Ideas and Contents of Female Entrepreneurship (ICEF) initiative aims to help women entrepreneurs develop their projects and move up from the informal to the formal sector.

“Today we find plenty of women who have ideas ‘stored in the drawer’, and what they lack is the opportunity to put them into practice. Our role at the ICEF is to ensure that these ideas are workable, to structure them better if possible and create opportunities for empowerment,” ICEF executive director Mody Maleiane says.

The initiative’s first phase will cover 30 women in Maputo province.

“We mustn’t just run, because, as we say, running is not arriving [“Correr não é chegar.”]. Some people look at the project and say that it should be more comprehensive, involve women from all over the country, enroll 200 to 300 women. No. Our pilot project is structured, this first phase will cover 30 women, because we want to see, first, carry-through. It is not worth having 1,000 women and then not getting any answers. We will work with 30 women every six months and gradually the initiative will grow, encompassing more regions in the country,” Maleiane explained.

According to BCI CEO Paulo Sousa, support for female entrepreneurship is a way to contribute to the empowerment of women.

“Creating projects that are financially, economically and socially sustainable is beneficial. Through initiatives such as this, we reserve for women the space in society they deserve. We want active women who contribute to the development of the country,” Sousa said.

The first 30 participants will benefit from training in structuring business ideas and adjusting projects to current conditions. In addition to financial support, the entrepreneurs will get information about business services at BCI branches, real estate credit and leasing.

Source: O País