Women entrepreneurs in Ngamiland have been encouraged to take advantage of business development opportunities and financial support programmes to help grow and sustain their enterprises.
The call was made during the Absa Women in Business Workshop held in Maun last week, where business owners, financial experts and development partners gathered to discuss ways of strengthening women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The workshop, organised by Absa Bank Botswana in partnership with the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA), focused on practical business skills, financing opportunities and networking. Topics covered included intellectual property protection, talent acquisition, enterprise development and business banking solutions.
Speaking at the event, LEA Maun Branch Manager, Outlwile Manny Ebutswe, urged organisers to extend the Women in Business Series to the Okavango District so that entrepreneurs in the area can also benefit from the initiative.
He said women-owned businesses continue to play an important role in creating jobs, driving innovation and contributing to local economic development. Ebutswe noted that taking the programme to underserved communities would promote inclusive entrepreneurship while providing business owners with practical skills to compete in an increasingly changing business environment.
Absa Bank Botswana Business Development Manager, Bakang Dinku, said many SMEs continue to face challenges in accessing finance because they do not meet some of the requirements needed by financial institutions.
She explained that businesses are often turned down due to the lack of proper financial statements, outdated Know Your Customer (KYC) documents, poor credit records, insufficient deposits for asset financing and difficulties in meeting payroll obligations.
However, Dinku said the bank has introduced several initiatives aimed at helping citizen-owned businesses overcome these challenges.
She said Absa finances start-up businesses that have secured contracts with established companies, particularly in the mining sector, enabling them to execute projects before becoming self-sustaining.
Dinku further revealed that under the Citizen Economic Empowerment Programme (CEEP) pilot, the bank has financed machinery and equipment for businesses awarded contracts without requiring upfront deposits. She added that qualifying clients can also benefit from waivers on Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) and ITC listings, as well as a three-month repayment moratorium to allow businesses time to begin production before loan repayments commence.
She also encouraged entrepreneurs to embrace Absa’s digital banking platforms, including Absa Access and Absa Internet Banking, saying the services allow businesses to conduct transactions and pay employees conveniently at any time.
Meanwhile, one of the women entrepreneurs Lebosegang Gothata Temane of Kethaba Entreprise PTY LTD who attended the workshop called on Absa to strengthen its engagement with SMEs by conducting door-to-door awareness campaigns and increasing the number of business development workshops across the country.
She said many entrepreneurs, especially those operating in rural and remote areas, are still unaware of the financial products and business support services available to them. She added that taking banking services directly to communities would improve financial inclusion while helping more businesses access funding and meet financing requirements.
Temane further said stronger collaboration between financial institutions and SMEs is essential for the long-term growth and sustainability of citizen-owned businesses.
