Africa-Press – Cape verde. The president of the Timor-Leste Women’s Business Association stated today that Timorese businesswomen have difficulty accessing financial capital, higher education and that they need training in literacy and financial management.
“The main difficulty is access to financial capital”, said Hergui Luina Alves.
According to the president of the Timor-Leste Women’s Business Association (AEMTL), Timorese women still have, for example, difficulties in owning land, which could allow them to have assets to obtain credit from financial institutions.
But, he continued, Timorese women entrepreneurs also continue to have difficulties accessing higher education and “lack financial literacy” and “knowledge in financial management”.
“With a patriarchal society, women’s freedom to participate in activities and do business is also not easy”, highlighted the president of the Timor-Leste Women’s Business Association.
Hergui Luina Alves was speaking to Lusa at the end of the launch ceremony of the official AEMTL website, supported within the scope of the project “Partnership for the Strengthening of Urban Governance, Social Inclusion and Promotion of Entrepreneurship in Dili”, financed by the European Union.
With around 400 members throughout the country, AEMTL’s main objective is to strengthen women entrepreneurs, supporting them in the management and promotion of their businesses, including through the establishment of international partnerships.
As part of the project to strengthen urban governance implemented by the Union of Capitals of Portuguese Speaking Cities (UCCLA), Dili Municipal Authority and Lisbon City Council, Timorese businesswomen have also received training in entrepreneurship.
Timor-Leste businesswomen operate essentially in the agriculture, construction, food production and processing, services, hydrocarbons, environment and tourism sectors.
The Secretary of State for Equality of Timor-Leste, Elvina Sousa Carvalho, stated last week at the United Nations, during the session of the Commission on the Status of Women, that the country has been “successful” in complying with the promotion of gender equality, exemplified by the number of women present both in parliament and in the Government, as well as in municipal leadership.
According to the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index, Timor-Leste is in 95th position among 146 countries in terms of inequality between men and women.
With regard to economic participation, the index shows that the country appears in position 120.
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