Women entrepreneurs took their business skills to the next level through an online and face-to-face training programme provided by Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) in Namibia.

The 21 women successfully completed the Entrepreneurship Skills Workshop which was facilitated by the Business and Entrepreneurship Training Centre and provided coaching on how to be effective and capable entrepreneurs.

The training formed part of CCBA in Namibia’s women and youth economic inclusion programme and was followed by a second phase, in which 25 women were provided with a startup package of non-perishable items and Coke products, which they can use to generate an income.

A total of 46 women have received training on how to identify and develop new business opportunities, think creatively about how to innovate, as well as how to prepare for and overcome the challenges that entrepreneurs encounter.

“Because women and youth are integral to our continent’s shared success, we seek to empower them by enabling their economic inclusion throughout our markets on the continent,” said CCBA in Namibia, Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability Manager, Enid Johr.

“CCBA has adopted the three pillars of education, employability and entrepreneurship as a framework for its economic inclusion strategy.

“We define economic inclusion as the opening of gainful economic opportunities by providing access to markets and other economic activities leveraging the business and the entire industry.

“Our aim is to boost income, provide decent earning potential and improve skills and business knowledge for women, resulting in them accessing other opportunities,” said Johr.