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Locadia Mavhudzi Midlands Correspondent
Women in the small to medium enterprise sector in Gweru have undergone a training workshop earmarked at improving their business management skills.

Speaking at the training workshop, Zimbabwe Women Bureau project officer Mrs Raviro Makore said financial literacy remained a major stumbling block for women in business.

She said SMEs should grow, hence the need for constant training programmes for such businesses.

“Women in small businesses are not growing because they lack skills in financial management,” said Mrs Makore.

“We have noted this as a gap that needs to be addressed immediately if women entrepreneurs are to contribute meaningfully to the development of the economy.”

Mrs Makore said most of the women entrepreneurs had no professional courses, but had innovative minds that saw opportunities in the communities they lived.

“Most women running these small businesses do not hold any professional course,” she said. “They are just ordinary people with a keen interest in business. There is need, therefore, to fine-tune their skills so that their businesses grow beyond livelihood sustenance.

“The informal sector is proving to play a vital role in the economy, so there is need for them to be equipped with the skills. They must also move with time, embracing technology like the use of plastic money.

“By rejecting plastic money, they are depriving themselves, so these are some of the skills and knowledge that small businesses should acquire. Players in the informal sector need to acquaint themselves with the language of finance.”

Miss Pricilla Hove, who is in the business of making household detergents, said the workshop was empowering.

“I have learnt how to account for all the money I get from my daily sales,” she said. “I have also benefited from this workshop and now know how to manage the supply and demand of my products.

“As we approach the festive season, I will do targeted marketing to boost my saleMore than 100 women in small to medium enterprise business that include chicken rearing, sewing, vending, soap making, candle making and manufacturing of household detergents attended the workshop.