On Thursday, September 22, the National Theatre of Namibia in Windhoek will play home to a half-day symposium on women and agriculture organized by the NAMIBIA consulting firm Heiress Communications.
The event’s topic, according to Paulina Mbango, founder and project manager of Heiress Communications, is “Tackling Global Food Insecurity and Women’s Role in Feeding the World.”
“It will promote discussion between decision makers and the women’s business community on topics related to agriculture and farming, and their potential to have a net-positive impact on the economy,” said Mbango, who will partner with Energy100 in hosting the event.
She said about 15 high-profile speakers including World Food Programme country director George Fedha, chief executive officer of the Namibian Agronomic Board Fidelis Mwazi, and a representative of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, have been lined up to make presentations.
Other speakers will be from the Meat Board of Namibia, USAID, the Development Bank of Namibia, AgriBank, Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia and Roots Agricultural College.
According to Mbango, the event also 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 budding entrepreneurs.
She said Heiress Communications hosted its first event in March 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.
Mbango said the objective of this event is to educate and impact women, especially small business owners.
“From the first event, we have 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 agri-business or not.
“We are looking forward to welcoming women (and men) from all walks of life, including corporates and women in other business industries.”
