ENTREPRENEURSHIP WORKSHOP FOCUSES ON WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT
The George Municipality’s Strategic Growth and Development division has recently hosted a Women’s Entrepreneurship Workshop to empower women entrepreneurs in the George Municipal area. The workshop focused on Entrepreneurship, Business Leadership, and Human Resources for SMMEs, as well as creating a platform for a local women entrepreneur to share her success story.
“With the anticipation of the City of George’s economic development growing rapidly in the coming years, it is critical that the Municipality continues to create opportunities for all to flourish, including the empowerment of women,” said Dr Kosie Haarhoff, the Deputy Director for Strategic Growth and Development in the George Municipality in his opening remarks, during the workshop which took place on 20 April 2023 at the Workers Collection Point.
The core functions of the Municipal Strategic Growth and Development comprise business support tools and guides, investment promotion, agriculture and rural development, enterprise development, support and capacitation on the informal sector and support to the formal sector. “We aim to reduce poverty and stimulate greater social and economic progress, and the workshop is the premise of building a more stable and resilient community,” Dr Haarhoff added.
Karwynn Meyer from the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) shared the importance of networking in a business environment. SEDA is an agency of the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD). SEDA provides non-financial support to small enterprises and cooperatives. The Agency’s services include business information, business training, incubation, access to markets, technology assistance, and marketing support.
SEDA’s involvement in the workshop was fitting as its programmes and interventions prioritise SMMEs, and cooperatives based in townships and rural areas and those owned by women, youth, and persons with disabilities. SEDA aims to ensure that these SMMEs and cooperatives improve their competitiveness, the quality of products, and the production processes.
A local entrepreneur, Myrtle Bartle also addressed the attendees sharing her success stories with her range of businesses under her Playtime Productions enterprise.
Ends.