Women agripreneurs are expected to converge in Windhoek for a half-day event, aimed at promoting a discussion between decision-makers and the business community on topics relating to agriculture and others.
The ‘Women and Agriculture Summit’ will be staged by Heiress Communications in collaboration with Energy 100 at the National Theatre of Namibia on Thursday.
Using the theme ‘Tackling Global Food Insecurity and Women’s Role in Feeding the World’, the event is expected to interrogate the potential of women farmers to have a net-positive impact on the economy through agriculture.
Furthermore, the event aims to provide a platform for women in business, particularly those interested in agri-business, to identify relevant organisations and their roles in the marketplace and serve as a roadmap into agri-business for any budding agripreneurs.
Heiress Communications hosted its first event in March 2022 under the theme, ‘Building Wealth in a Disruptive Economy’.
During that event, discussions highlighted the challenges women faced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and exposed the vulnerability women faced regarding the potential loss of income – both through business and employment.
Since then, the communications consultancy has worked to keep information accessible to women in business so they can better understand the business environment in which they operate and, as a result, better manage their businesses cohesively and capitalise on upcoming opportunities.
Founder and project manager at Heiress Communications Paulina Mbango said with this event, the objective is to educate women, especially small business owners on relevant matters relating to agriculture.
“From the first event, we’ve received so much positive feedback that we wanted to make a much bigger impact. We wanted to host an event where everyone felt welcome, whether you are familiar with agribusiness or not. We are looking forward to welcoming women and men from all walks of life, including corporates and women in other business industries,” she said.
The half-day summit will have over 15 speakers from various organisations, including the Namibian Agronomic Board, Meat Board of Namibia, USAID, World Food Programme, Development Bank of Namibia, AgriBank, Environmental Investment Fund and Roots Agricultural College, amongst others.