Cape Town - The City’s Enterprise and Investment Department has made a call to woman entrepreneurs to apply for its Women in Business programme which is facilitated by the City’s Strategic Business Partner, Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative (CiTi).
According to facilitators of the initiative, the 10-week empowerment programme seeks to empower women in business by affording them the foundation and guidance to infuse technology into their businesses.
Speaking on the growth of the programme, Mayco member for economic opportunities and asset management James Vos said that since its inception the project had become a valuable tool for entrepreneurs, so much so that additional funding was approved by the overseeing council.
Vos said the additional funds would go towards bringing on board 30 more women who would be given insight into how to use technology products and services to promote the growth and sustainability of businesses.
He said: “For economic growth to be fully realised, it is vital that female business owners be given access to the skills, knowledge and technology that foster development. So I’m encouraged that through Citi we can offer this opportunity.”
Last week, Vos visited two entrepreneurs who had participated in the 2020 programme, development company Carran Consulting CC, in Woodstock, and Matawi Mead Collection, a pan-African beverage brand, in Maitland.
“It was such a fantastic opportunity to meet Raneah Carr at Carran Consulting, and Matawi's CEO, Nokukhanya Mncwabe, and hear about their work and how they integrated their learnings at Women in Business into their everyday jobs. It shows that the reach of this project that we fund is far greater than what people might expect,” said Vos.
Carran Consulting’s Raneah Carr said the knowledge she gained from the programme did wonders for her business.
“Being in the field for many years, there are times one becomes so involved in your business that you tend to forget to do research and development with current market trends. This programme allowed me to do that and reassess what the business needs.”
Matawi Mead Collection’s Mncwabe said she had formed meaningful connections with many of the women on the 2020 course, despite it being completely virtual.
“A safe space was created almost from the onset. I’ve also been encouraged by the groups’ plans to convene networking opportunities and possibly even business collaborations. I’ve grown tremendously and been inspired by businesswomen who are further on their journey than I am. As a result, I feel even more equipped to more strategically and systematically tackle Matawi's growth,” said Mncwabe.