By: June Shimuoshili
We need to change the way we talk about women who work in informal businesses.
Too often, a woman selling vegetables on the side of the road is viewed as someone simply trying to survive.
What if we viewed her differently?
What if we saw her as an entrepreneur?
She understands customers. She manages stock. She negotiates prices. She calculates profit. She manages risk. She knows her market.
What she may lack is not business ability, but access to capital, formal training, equipment, storage, transport and markets.
That distinction matters.
Government programmes such as the Income Generating Activity programme already recognise the importance of supporting women and men through income-generating activities, equipment and business training. Newer financing initiatives are also opening additional opportunities for women-owned businesses.
But we must make sure these opportunities reach the women who need them most.
Information should not remain online or inside offices in Windhoek.
It must reach rural communities through radio, traditional authorities, constituency offices, community meetings and local organisations.
Women should know where to apply, what documents they need and who can help them prepare.
Empowerment is not giving someone a loan and walking away.
It is helping her turn an idea into a sustainable business.
It is helping her understand finance.
It is connecting her to markets.
It is giving her confidence to employ someone else.
When a Namibian woman grows a business, she does not only change her own life.
She can change the lives of her children, employees and community.
That is what empowerment looks like.
