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Whinsley Masara, Business Reporter
THIRTY businesswomen from the southern region received certificates in Bulawayo after completing a year’s training and mentorship programme on entrepreneurship.

The southern region covers Masvingo, Midlands and Matabeleland provinces.

Professional Women Executives and Business Women’s Forum (PROWEB) Virgin Unite facilitated the training as part of measures to empower women economically.

In her address during the graduation last week, executive director, Sithabile Mangwende, paid tribute to the Ministry of Small to Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development for ensuring the success of the programme.

“This programme was designed to address the gap in business skills of women entrepreneurs by improving their economic self reliance, sustenance, business expansion and growth.

“Last year, PROWEB entered into a partnership with Virgin Unite UK, an organization which supports women empowerment and the programme intends to run for three years and today’s is the first group to graduate,” she said.

The programme focused on activities aiming at building and capacitating them with skills necessary for an active and sustainable enterprise, business plan development with linkages to financial products and service, participation at national, regional and international markets. Bulawayo provincial women and gender development officer, Vaidah Mashangwa, commended the training initiative.

“There is no way we can as a nation talk of socio-political and economic development without the active participation of women.

“These women need to be continually capacitated in relevant skills so that they remain competitive in the way they conduct business,” she said.