FORTY WOMEN from diverse fields gathered in Foster Hall, St John, last Sunday for a women entrepreneurship forum to see how change could be inspired in their personal development and their businesses.
Manager of the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (YES), Selma Green, said the forum, entitled Female Entrepreneurs – Inspiring Change To Navigate This Business Space In Contemporary Times, was a belated part of celebrationsfor International Women’s Day.
“At the end of the forum we’re hoping to come up with strategies and a framework of assistance that can help them not only to move themselves forward, but to grow their businesses because the focus has to be on earning foreign exchange,” she said.
YES is working in collaboration with the Women and Development Unit, which would use the research to develop a course around female entrepreneurship.
A team of female professionals and academics spoke to the women who were drawn from such diverse fields as agriculture, beauty care and medical services.
Meanwhile, Minister of Sport, Youth Affairs and Culture Stephen Lashley, who spoke at the opening ceremony, called for support of the “development of entrepreneurship aspirations initiatives, especially among young women, that have the capacity for growth and the potential to earn foreign exchange”.
He said his ministry, YES and other strategic partners had pledged their continued commitment “to be effective in carrying out our mandate to enhance the lives of young people. We will strive to continuously improve on the delivery of our services so that young entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs, can receive timely responses to their critical needs as they seek to develop their various businesses”. (HLE)
