Khosolo Women’s Forum has equipped small-scale businesswomen in Traditional Authority (T/A) Khosolo in Mzimba with essential skills on how to manage their affairs.
Speaking during the training on Monday, the forum’s director Joyce Mwale said they engaged the women after noting that many women running small businesses lack skills to manage their businesses.
She said: “We have noted that most women are running small-scale businesses but are struggling to sustain them due to knowledge gaps.
“This is why we trained them on the importance of doing market research to know the products on demand in their areas. We also taught them how to keep records of their daily activities to see if they are making profits or not.”
Mwale said they also encouraged the women to form groups and venture into village savings and loans groups to save their money.
“We have also empowered the women to venture into agriculture and grow tomatoes, onions, maize and beans,” he said.
One participant, Eliza Mafuleka commended the training, saying it will help boost her fish business.
“I will start keeping records of my business and ensure I join village savings and loans groups where I can save and borrow money to grow my business,” she said.
Another participant Miriam Shaba, who runs a shop, said she learned to diversify her business. She said she will venture into farming activities.
Mafuleka said record-k e e p i n g a l s o h e l p s businesspeople to follow the progress of their businesses.
“Venturing into farming and saving money is crucial for businesspeople because we will have multiple sources of income, which will help to sustain our businesses,” she said.
Wi th f unding f rom ActionAid Malawi, Khosolo Women’s Fo r um ar e implementing projects in the district for many years.
