Africa-Press – Botswana. Women’s empowerment programme has to date funded 1 074 projects across the country.
Minister of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture, Mr Tumiso Rakgare said Monday in response to question from Jwaneng/Mabutsane MP, Mr Mephato Reatile.
Mr Rakgare said a total of 946 projects were operational while 128 had failed or collapsed, noting that his ministry continued to monitor all funded projects.
He said those that had collapsed and had potential for resuscitation were referred to LEA for business counselling and for possible sources of funding such as CEDA.
“It has been observed that most businesses collapsed due to lack of business management skills which include misappropriation of business funds, negative group dynamics, inadequate market for the products and high cost of operational space,” he added.
Minister Rakgare said the women’s empowerment programme was suspended in February 2017 for review.
Following its review, Minister Rakgare said it was transferred to the Ministry of Entrepreneurship for consolidation with other empowerment programmes for comprehensive and sustainable implementation.
He highlighted that the suspension of the women’s empowerment programme had not necessarily disadvantaged women and inhibited them from participating in the economy.
Mr Rakgare pointed out that there were other government empowerment programmes, including poverty eradication, Youth Development Fund, Young Farmers Fund, LIMID as well as the CEDA products such as Mabogo Dinku, which provides both women and men with funding to start businesses.
Further, the minister stated that women continued to be given preferential treatment when tendering for government supported procurement.
He explained that the advantages were that the programme would be more comprehensive and sustainable as it would be consolidated with other economic empowerment programmes.
Mr Rakgare explained that the consolidation would, among others, prevent double dipping, making it possible for more people to benefit from the support.
Further, Minister Rakgare said the programme would be more efficient as it would be implemented under one ministry with specialised expertise in entrepreneurship and enterprise development.
MP Reatile had asked the minister to apprise Parliament on the Department of Gender Affairs on a number issues, amongst them the total number of operating and failed projects and the strategies in place to revive the collapsed ones.
Mr Reatile had also wanted the minister to state when his ministry took the decision to suspend funding for the women’s empowerment programme, which aimed at assisting groups of women to obtain seed money to start their own income-generating projects.
He had also wanted to know if the ministry realised that the suspension of the funding of the programme had economically disadvantaged women in Botswana, inhibiting them from participating in the economy, thereby causing negative discrimination.
MP Reatile further wanted to know the problems women incurred since the suspension of the funding.
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