Finalists from 10 countries founded firms in fields ranging from biotechnology to fashion
Geneva, 23 April 2010 -- The Empretec Women in Business Awards 2010 will be presented 26 April by UNCTAD to three women entrepreneurs whose firms, founded in developing countries, have weathered and even prospered during the global recession, and who serve as examples of how ideas and persistence can create jobs and help raise living standards in the developing world. (The programme of the awards ceremony is attached.)
All 10 finalists are graduates of training courses for entrepreneurs offered by the UNCTAD-supported Empretec programme, which now has centres in 32 countries. Since its founding in 1988, Empretec has trained over 180,000 entrepreneurs who have gone on to found or expand thousands of businesses and have created thousands of jobs.
The Empretec Women in Business Awards are intended to celebrate and reinforce the participation of women in entrepreneurship in developing countries, and to highlight successful women entrepreneurs as role models for others who dream of starting their own businesses.
The first-place award, which includes a US$ 6,000 study tour offered by the First Lady of the Dominican Republic, will be presented by the First Lady, Margarita Cedeño de Fernández.
Bisila Bokoko, Executive Director of the Spain-US Chamber of Commerce, will present the second-place prize, which is a study tour to New York offered by the Spain-US Chamber of Commerce.
The third-place award, which involves consulting services of a value of $US 1,500 offered by the Africa Technology Development Forum (ATDF), will be presented by Gerry Elsdon, CEO, Cinnamon Communications, National TB Ambassador, Republic of South Africa, and global TB advocate for the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC).
The winners have been chosen by a panel of 20 judges (see attached sheet). The 10 finalists have founded firms representing a number of business sectors, including fashion, shipping, education, and biotechnology. Several of these companies provide services, reflecting the increased importance of the services industries in the economies of developing countries.
The finalists are:
- Olga Lidia Arean of Argentina, whose firm, ConservArte S.A., offers preservation products
- Joy Simakane of Botswana, whose company, Extramile Express PTY LTD, offers customs-clearance services
- Vanessa de Figueiredo Vilela Araújo of Brazil, whose firm, Kapeh Cosméticos, makes coffee-based beauty products
- María de la Luz Osses Klein of Chile, whose Biotecnologías Antofagasta S.A. offers biotech products
- Guenet Fresenbet Azmach of Ethiopia, whose company, Gigi Ethiopia, produces fashionwear
- Lucia Desir of Guyana, who founded D&J Shipping Services
- Lina Hundaileh of Jordan, whose firms Philadelphia, Chocolography, Rafawed Consulting, and Ammoun offer chocolates, other sweets, and consulting services
- Lilian Okoro of Nigeria, whose company, Peace for the African Child Initiative, produces educational entertainment
- Beatrice Ayuru Bvaruhanga of Uganda, whose Lira Integrated School offers education services
- and Vivivata Chivunga of Zimbabwe, whose company, Viva Fashions, produces and markets fashionwear
More detailed information on the finalists is provided in the attached annex.
The first Women in Business Awards were presented in April 2008, in Accra, Ghana, at the UNCTAD XII quadrennial conference.
"Empretec" is a flagship technical assistance programme of UNCTAD aimed at coaching key competences of entrepreneurs and helping them in building and expanding their businesses (www.empretec.net) .An ultimate goal is to resolve what economists sometimes call the "missing middle." The world´s poorer nations frequently have large businesses (often connected with the government or with transnational corporations) and very small, informal businesses that are not legally established, do not pay taxes, and do not necessarily abide by laws and safety regulations.
What is missing are standard, legally incorporated medium-sized enterprises and smaller, officially established firms that may grow into midsized firms over time. (Small- and medium-sized enterprises are often called SMEs.) Such firms play a surprisingly vital role in a nation´s economic health. SMEs make up the majority of businesses in industrialized countries, provide the majority of jobs, contribute extensively to manufacturing and exports, and traditionally are breeding grounds for new ideas and products. However, according to the World Bank enterprise surveys, they account for only 40% of employment and 25% of GDP in developing countries.
For reference: * http://www.youtube.com/user/UnctadEmpretec
