Women empowerment initiatives in Zimbabwe

Empowering women to participate fully in economic activities is essential in building stronger economies, and improving the quality of life for women, men, and communities as a whole. The Government through, the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development, has set up many initiatives which are being implemented to ensure the empowerment of women. 

angle-left Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development

Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development

The Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development’s mandate is to promote women’s full participation in the economy at all levels and in all economic sectors.

The ministry has 2 training centres for empowerment programs:

  • Training Centre for Rural Women (Jamaica Inn) and Rodger Howman Training Centres were provided with $50 000.00 each as grants for infrastructural development.

The centres were established primarily to meet the training needs of rural communities, particularly those of organised women`s groups involved in small scale income- generating projects

Courses offered at the Centres:

Business Management and Entrepreneurship which include:

  • Business feasibility studies
  • Traits of successful entrepreneurs
  • Sources of finance
  • Market Research
  • Customer care
  • Basic principals of economics
  • Book Keeping
  • Cost and pricing
  • Budgeting
  • Business Planning
  • Business Proposal and Cash flows
  • Packaging
  • Branding

 

Establishment of the India-Africa Incubation Centre

The ministry has also established Incubation Centre to promote start-up of businesses where the enterprise culture is strengthened through encouraging creativity, productivity, quality and good labor and industrial relations.

  • The strategic thrust of this Centre is to provide intensive support to start-up companies, coach them to start and accelerate development and sustenance of their businesses.
  • The Centre offers training in 25 different technology areas some of which include fruit juice making, soya milk extraction, toilet tissues making, plastic products manufacturing, nails manufacturing.
  • During the year 2018, the Centre supported 78 entrepreneurs and some of them have already started manufacturing to serve markets such as restaurants with soy milk and retails shops with tissue paper.
  • Out of the 78 entrepreneurs supported, 10 companies have been set up which have created 29 direct employment opportunities.

Contact information

Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small And Medium Enterprise Development
8th Floor Kaguvi Building
Cnr Central & Fourth Street
Harare
Tel:  +263 242 -251 559/790932/705796