Mishma Chakanyuka, Staff Writer 
THE Comesa Federation of Women in Business (COMFWB) has urged female entrepreneurs to expand their market reach beyond local borders and explore export opportunities.
COMFWB chairperson Edna Mukurazhizha encouraged women during the Regional Enterprise Competitiveness and Access to Markets Programme (Recamp) training, to consider regional and international markets.
“The encouragement is for women to be able to export. When we talk about COMESA, we are talking of 21 countries. So, the encouragement is for women to think about the export market, not just look at the local market. There is Zambia; there is Tunisia; there is Ghana,” Mukurazhizha emphasised.
She also stressed the importance of women entering entrepreneurship, registering their businesses, and establishing bank accounts to foster financial independence.
“You need to have a track record of the business that you are doing. We are encouraging women to be entrepreneurs. We always say if you are employed and your salary is your only source of income, you are one step away from poverty, and if you are an entrepreneur with only one line of business, again, you are one step away from poverty,” she said.
Mukurazhizha further advised women to cultivate multiple income streams and recognise the significance of entrepreneurship in accessing export markets.
Additionally, Mukurazhizha highlighted the ongoing issue of women’s financial exclusion, calling the current statistics “worrisome.”
“When you look at the statistics in Zimbabwe, 51 percent are women but less than 20 percent have had access to financial services. 95 percent of the applications for money are from men, and only five percent are from women,” she noted.
She encouraged women to register their businesses, stressing the importance of having the necessary documentation to secure financial support.
“It’s important to know the documents that can help you go to a financial institution with a proposal and be able to access a facility,” she said.
“As a business owner, you need both debt and cash to run your business.”
Mukurazhizha also urged women from marginalised areas to apply for loans through grassroots programmes designed for those without initial income to start a business.
“We are saying if you are from the rural areas and if you do not have anywhere to start, we have grassroots programmes. With grassroots programmes, they say life is lived in phases and moved in stages. We cannot start by giving you a facility of US$5 000, but we start as low as US$100,” Mukurazhizha said.
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