The City of Cape Town’s Enterprise and Investment Department is encouraging women entrepreneurs to apply for a spot in the Women in Business Programme facilitated by its Strategic Business Partner, Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative (CiTi).

CiTi’s course has supported over 1 000 women entrepreneurs in and around Cape Town since it launched several years ago.

‘Women entrepreneurs are significant job creators in South Africa with up to 90% of business-owning women stating in a recent survey that creating employment was an important factor for them in starting their enterprises. Through supporting this programme, the City of Cape Town is therefore boosting not only the leaders taking part, but the people they employ,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos.

During the 10-week online programme, participants will learn how to build their businesses, will be mentored through creating a tech strategy that is suited to them, and network with other female bosses.

‘Having met many of the entrepreneurs who have gone through this course, I’ve been fortunate enough to see how invaluable the sessions were for them,’ said Alderman Vos.

A participant of a previous programme, Robyn Londyn of cleaning services company, Focus Facilities Solutions, said the course helped her to see her brand in a broader context.

‘The most valuable takeaway from the programme for me was that it really made me look at building my brand, who we are and what legacy we are going to leave behind. The brand feels real now,’ said Londyn.

Lara Rosmarin, Head of Incubation and Entrepreneurial Development at CiTi, said it was important for their team to continue the Women in Business programme during the pandemic: ‘Despite recent events, the CiTi team is determined to deliver a successful Women in Business programme. We’ve adapted a sizable portion of our programme to an online format to play our part in social distancing to limit the spread of Covid-19.’

Alderman Vos said that it was through funding and collaboration with partners such as CiTi that Cape Town had gained a reputation as an ideal base for start-ups and small businesses.

‘For economies to grow, women need equal access to the skills, knowledge and contacts that will help them to grow their business footprint. So I encourage the women bosses in and around Cape Town to apply now for this enriching and empowering programme at CiTi,’ said Alderman Vos.

Source: City Of Cape Town