Women are an important pillar of the Mauritian economy and have contributed massively in the advancement of Mauritius even before our country acceded to Independence and are still continuing to do so, said the Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, Mrs Roubina Jadoo-Jaunbocus, today at the National Women Development Centre, in Phoenix.
The Minister was speaking at the launching of an entrepreneurship workshop, L’Atelier de L’Entrepreneuriat au Feminin, organised to sensitise existing and aspiring women entrepreneurs on the services and facilities offered by different supporting institutions to help them ensure the growth of their enterprises or set up new ones.
In her address, Minister Jadoo-Jaunbocus indicated that the contribution to the economy brought by women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in general should be given due recognition. It is necessary to understand that while the work market itself per se will not be able to absorb all people yet there exists certain slots on the market that need to be filled and it is where entrepreneurs come into play, she stated.
For the Minister, the necessary mentoring is therefore crucial to accompany those women wishing to set up an enterprise and become entrepreneurs. It is indeed challenging to start up a business even if the aspiring entrepreneur already has the initial idea as there are indeed numerous procedures that precede the creation of an enterprise and this is where the National Women Entrepreneur Council (NWEC) comes into play, she highlighted.
Moreover, Mrs Jadoo-Jaunbocus emphasised the role of the NWEC in providing the appropriate support to women entrepreneurs to enable them to have a profitable business on the long-run. We want women to become economically independent and be empowered, she added.
L’Atelier de L’Entrepreneuriat au Feminin
Some 100 women entrepreneurs are attending the workshop organised by the NWEC. Resource persons are from MauBank, SME Mauritius, Registrar of Companies and Municipal Councils. Presentations are focusing on: Procedures for Business Registration; Permits and Licences required for the setting up of a business; Schemes available at SME Mauritius; and Financial Schemes available at MauBank.
The NWEC offers several services to support the economic empowerment of women such as: business counselling, marketing assistance, skills development, business incubators, entrepreneurship development, workshops and seminars.
Source: Government of Mauritius