| WHAT
WE DO
Networking:
We hold monthly networking meetings to which we invite speakers
to talk on diverse topics. Topics covered in the past year
include: Role of the Kenya Bureau of Standards in Business
and Trade, Personal Financial Planning/Wealth Creation, Stress
and Stress Management, Sources of Business Finance, The Role
of Gender Development Office, Entrepreneurship Skills, Women
and the New Constitution, Menopause and Effects on Women’s
Decisions. We meet at Quest Guesthouse and Resort on the first Tuesday
of every month between 12 - 2pm. Newly introduced is a monthly Networking Happy Hour, on the third Wednesday of the month, which is held at different venues across town.
International
Networking: OWIT- Nairobi members become part of
the an international network as there are OWIT chapters in
the US, Canada, Europe and Latin America. Visit the OWIT website
at www.owit.org. The annual OWIT International Conferences
present an opportunity to establish international business
contacts. Some of our members have been able to attend a number
of those international Networking Forums in the last two years.
The OWIT International Conference 2007 was held in Miami, USA, four Nairobi members attended. The 2008 OWIT International Conference will be held in Monterrey, Mexico.
Training
and Professional Development: We offer our members professional and personal development opportunities. The most significant was the one-day seminar organized by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in June 2006 to train our members on how to write acceptable business plans to help them access finance from the banks. Most recently we ran a one day workshop on ” Taxation that affect your businesses.”
Our members have also been able to benefit from various events and training sessions on Business Skills, Business Protocol, Networking and Etiquette Training, Textile and Handicraft Marketing in USA, Market-led Product Design and Development Training and the CIPE Leadership Training Women in Business, which was held in Uganda.
Trade
events: The highlights of our Trade Events were the very successful one-day seminars: one in May 2004 and the other in November 2006. The 2004 seminar brought together over 100 professional and businesswomen. The Seminar was on Women in Trade: Accessing New Markets. It was aimed at helping women in business understand Government’s Trade and Investment policies and know how to gain access to national, regional and international markets and obtain information on the support services available to facilitate women’s access to new markets. The Minister of Trade & Industry Hon Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi gave the keynote address.
This seminar led to the inauguration of the Gender Development office at the Ministry of Trade & Industry in February 2005. The office is on 17th floor of Teleposta Towers, Room 1707. It has been very useful.
The November 2006 seminar was on Capacity Building for Women Entrepreneurs. It focused on the various impediments to women’s advancement in business. Top of the list was lack of access to business finance since women do not own property used as collateral for bank loans. Other issues tackled were the discriminative business registration procedures, taxation, etc. The Minister for Finance Hon. Amos Kimunya was the Guest of Honour. As a result of that seminar, a fund to assist women to grow their businesses is in the offing and a lot more is on the way for women in business.
OWIT-Nairobi was involved in the recently concluded COMESA Business Forum in Nairobi in May 2007 and the Chairperson chaired the Women in Business Session. The Chapter is also currently representing Kenya at the COMESA Regional FEMCOM Meetings. FEMCOM stands for Federation of National Associations of Women in Business. The Chairperson has attended two Regional FEMCOM Meetings, one in Lusaka in October 2006 and in Cairo in April 2007.
In the recent past, our chairperson led a delegation of 4 members to the OWIT International Conference in Miami, USA. Some of our members have attended a workshop on Regional Trade within the COMESA and EAC at the invitation the Ministry of Trade & Industry. Two of our members have attended international trade events such as the US-Africa Business Summit in Washington DC and the East African Summit in Atlanta, Georgia. One of our members also attended a presentation by the Chief of the International Trade Centre (ITC) at the World Trade Organization on how to use some of the ITC’s trade tools such as Trade Map and Product Map. Our members have now have access to these useful trade tools.
Influencing Policy: OWIT is involved in the formation of an umbrella body that will encompass all the women entrepreneur associations in Kenya, giving them one voice. We are represented at meetings with government officials aimed at helping to streamline business licensing.
Community Events: The organization has a social responsibility that has led members to visit four children’s homes, one in Kangemi, one in Langata, Tropikal Early Childhood Centre in Kahawa Wendani and most recently Zabibu Centre for disabled girls in Ruiru. They donated a laptop, foodstuffs, school uniforms, sweaters, textbooks and writing materials.
Look out for our quarterly e- newsletter, through which we will keep our members informed of our activities and trade events during the year.
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