Participants in Empowering Women in Small Business Seminar, March 8, 2016 at St. Joseph’s Church Hall, Boyd Road. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
Officials of the Women’s Bureau of the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development Tuesday partnered with those from The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation to host a half-day small business seminar designed to empower Bahamian women already operating small businesses or those interested in starting their own micro businesses.
The seminar, held at St. Joseph’s Church Hall, allows the Government of The Bahamas, through the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development and the Women’s Bureau, to meet two key pillars of Goal Five of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, 2030, which calls for the achievement of gender equity and the empowerment of all women and girls, by providing equal rights for women to economic resources and ensuring women’s full and effective participation in and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making and public life.
The third pillar of Goal Five, which was approved in September 2015 by Heads of State, calls for the elimination of violence against women, among others.
Minister of Social Services and Community Development, the Hon. Melanie Sharon Griffin said the seminar and the focus on empowering women will assist the Government of The Bahamas – through her Ministry and the Women’s Bureau – in further addressing two key issues involving women – one, creating parity at all levels of decision-making and public life, and secondly, addressing the issue that a significant number of women have now become the heads of households in The Bahamas and therefore are becoming increasingly responsible for generating income for those households.
“The question has been asked as to why we are focusing on women and young girls? Simply put, it has nothing to do with discrimination against men and more to do with the well-known fact that the majority of households in The Bahamas are headed by women,” Mrs. Griffin said.
“These women, be they mothers, daughters, sisters, wives or grandmothers, are an important part of the multiplier effect which greatly impacts the well-being of families; the development of communities and the country as a whole.
“A Chinese proverb puts it best: ‘To plan for a day, catch a fish; to plan for a year, plant rice; to plan for a decade, plant a tree; but to plan for a lifetime, educate a girl.’ This seminar will allow you to focus on acquiring new knowledge and skills necessary to grow and market your business (and, in some instances) help you to turn a hobby into an income generating enterprise,” Mrs. Griffin added.
Minister Griffin said the seminar, which was held as part of the activities celebrating International Women’s Day, presented an “excellent opportunity for networking, exchange of ideas and dealing with challenges.”
Key lessons learnt from the seminar, Mrs. Griffin continued, will help current small business owners and those wishing to become small business owners, to create and successfully expand their businesses, which in turn could add to the growth of the economy from a micro enterprise perspective.
“In our present economy, where competition for limited employment opportunities is high, many persons are coming to the reality that to generate income for themselves and their families, they must create or develop their own businesses – even side businesses to be able to feed their families and make ends meet. This paradigm shift requires one to acquire new knowledge and skills,” Mrs. Griffin said.
“This seminar, which was designed to improve your knowledge and skills in starting and developing a small business, is therefore timely and apropos (relevant) as it can lead to poverty reduction and build a stronger economy, nationally,” Mrs. Griffin said.
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