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First Lady lays stress on honesty in...
2008-05-15 09:40:53
By Felister Peter
First Lady Salma Kikwete has challenged women entrepreneurs to be honest in their business deals in order to improve their performance and contribution to the country`s economy.
She said this yesterday at the opening of a one-day Women Entrepreneurs Career Summit held in Dar es Salaam.
``If you really want to have a sustainable economy, you must be honest and conduct legal businesses,`` she said, cautioning against embracing tactics for acquiring wealth illegitimately.
Salma said women were trusted in every aspect of development worldwide, so conducting businesses honestly would help their projects grow and thus make a difference.
She also urged them to register their business and pay taxes which, in turn, would come back to them in the form of social services and other benefits rendered to all Tanzanians - women forming an important integral part.
She also stressed cooperation between women and men because traditionally men were heads of families and, if not properly involved in women businesses, women`s future would be bleak.
Community Development, Gender and Children minister Margaret Sitta said her ministry was working hard to ensure that more women were involved in businesses both locally and abroad.
She said as part of the efforts geared to empowering women, her ministry was planning to establish a women\'s bank by mid next year.
The bank would help to provide women with loans and other financial services, including supporting them to buy shares.
The wife of the Prime Minister, Tunu Pinda, congratulated women entrepreneurs on their efforts in contributing to the national economy.
She said once women were better economically, the entire family benefitted.
She urged them to be attentive and ensure that knowledge gained from the conference would help them improve their businesses.
Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI) executive director Christine Kilindu said they had decided to organize the summit because they knew the importance of women in contributing to national development.
She said the topics were designed to help small entrepreneurs learn and gain experience from their fellow successful women.
President of East Africa Speakers Bureau (EASB) Paul Mashauri said the biggest problem women entrepreneurs faced was capital.
CTI and EASB hosted the summit.
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