PRESIDENT Barack Obama at the weekend announced that the United States (US) would set up three entrepreneurship centres in Zambia, Kenya and Mali to support women entrepreneurs.
Speaking during the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) at the United Nations headquarters in Nairobi’s Gigiri area, President Obama said the Kenyan centre would be launched later in the year.
“We are launching three women’s entrepreneurial centres – one in Zambia, one I will bring later this year in Nairobi and I am proud to announce that the third centre will be located in Mali,” he announced amidst cheers and claps.
According to Kenya’s Capital FM, President Obama said the US had contributed US$1 billion to support the three centres.
While emphasising the importance of public-private partnership, Mr Obama appreciated the support by private investors who had contributed $100 million to boost the kitty set aside to support women entrepreneurs in the three African countries.
The decision to open the centres to support women, Mr Obama explained, was anchored on their strength to organise themselves in groups and identify business projects that not only propeled their lives but also those that uplifted their communities socially and economically.
“Women are powerhouse entrepreneurs. The research shows that women are entrepreneurs and they succeed. They drive economic growth and they invest more back in their families and communities,” he said.
In recognition that women had supported establishment of 1,600 women entrepreneurs across Africa, Mr Obama said it was important to support their efforts to help them achieve their goals.