Women conference to address business networking challenges

By David Ssempijja

KAMPALA - This year’s annual Women Business Leaders’ conference that opens on Thursday will focus on devising means of confronting key challenges that hinder women from fully exploiting their potential, especially in networking, as they engage in running businesses.

Participants are expected to debate on how to balance gender roles with businesses, self-belief in women’s competence in business managing, strategies of getting more women into the formal and informal job market, according to Hannah Owot, the board member for the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited (UWEAL).

The event will take place at Imperial Royale Hotel.

“There are many gender-related challenges that hinder women from prospering in business, responsibilities like managing homes especially taking care of children, and above all taking reproductive roles, burden women more than men,” she said.

“Those are some of the challenges for which we intend to provide answers in the course of the conference.”

Owot mentioned this after receiving a sh5m sponsorship package from Standard Chartered Bank on Tuesday.

The conference key speakers will provide women with powerful and authentic inspiration.

Women will also be provided with practical business knowledge and tools that will enable them become and stay more relevant, competitive and successful in running sustainable businesses.

Standard Chartered Bank’s head of corporate affairs Herbert Zaake said the country needs to galvanise support for women in business, given the potential they have exhibited especially in the last 20 years of women economic emancipation movement.

“As a bank, we aim to inspire and promote the spirit of excellence among business women, not only in Uganda but also world over.

“Therefore, our association with UWEAL members has been at the forefront in promoting and supporting entrepreneurship development among the female gender as an avenue to contribute to the country economic development agenda,” he said after handing over the cheque.