Standard Bank has recently trained 50 aspiring women entrepreneurs, as part of its support to female empowerment. The initiative, called iDeate, aims to stimulate entrepreneurship and the development of innovative businesses to solve challenges, and is promoted in partnership with the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and ideiaLab.
The training, which took place in a virtual format, is considered by the participants as one of the ways to help entrepreneurs in general to overcome the challenges imposed by the market.
“It was a school for us. Knowledge is something that no one can take away from us. What is left for us, from now on, is to apply it in our daily lives. We hope that the bank and the partners will continue this initiative. The country and women, in particular, need it,” said Stela Marime.
For Milagreth Marcos, also a participant, one of the added value of iDeate was the fact that they learned to systematize the information about their business, which allows them to present it in a convincing and persuasive way to potential partners, investors and customers, adding that, thanks to iDeate, they already know how to talk about their product, where and how to look for customers, among other things.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Standard Bank representative Tanuja Viriato explained that iDeate is designed to empower women by providing them with essential tools to structure their ideas, and therefore urged participants to share what they learned during the training with women in their communities, whom they should also support.
“I am sure that you are now in a position to turn your dreams into businesses and thus succeed in the marketplace. Today is, above all, the beginning of a journey that will transform your lives and will have a sustainable impact on society,” said Tanuja Viriato.
For her part, the representative of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), Sindy Karberg-Manuel, reiterated her support for this and other initiatives related to the empowerment of women in the country, especially in the economic area.
“We are proud to contribute to the empowerment of women, as well as to the creation of a more balanced ecosystem. The Country and the economy need a fairer system, with empowered women. The life of an entrepreneur is full of challenges and we hope that, with this training, they will be able to face and overcome them,” she stressed.
The representative of ideiaLab, Manuel Rego, highlighted that the training has contributed to the strengthening of entrepreneurship in the country. “We believe in the power of entrepreneurship, because it is not limited only to business creation. It is a way to contribute to the community and society, by identifying problems and creating solutions. Today, through iDeate, you take tools that will implement in all areas of your lives” he concluded.
