Ignore sugar wrangles, says National Assembly Deputy Speaker Joyce Laboso

National assembly deputy speaker Joyce Laboso during the 2nd EAC Conference on the role of women in social- Economic Development and in Business at KICC on 20/08/15 [PHOTO/JENIPHER WACHIE/Standard]

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Joyce Laboso has called on business women in East Africa to ignore the ongoing wrangles in the sugar industry.

"I am sure you are all aware of the ongoing debate in our country. Please, be assured that your products are safe and we will sell them in all member states of East Africa community. It is all politics as we go into campaigns," she said.

Laboso challenged women to take business risks and step out of their comfort zone if they want to be recognized globally.

Addressing women entrepreneurs and exhibitors from diverse sectors in the entire region during the East African Community Conference on the Role of Women in Socio-Economic Development and Business in Nairobi, Laboso urged them not to limit themselves to doing small scale businesses.

"We no longer want to continue supplying stationary and flowers to offices. We must move to the big things, where the real money is. We must go into manufacturing, infrastructure and areas like mining", she said.

However, Jasmine Baghdella, a delegate from Tanzania said that policies on entrepreneurship do not favor women who may want to jump into huge investments.

"Most banks shy away from giving women big business loans. Additionally, some women fear giving their houses or land as security, because they have to think about their children first. What happens if the business doesn't take off? That is why we prefer to start small," she said.

Jenniffer Wachira who is a large scale supplier of medical equipment on the other hand believes women and men have started competing equally in penetrating the market.

She said the perception that women are concentrating on small scale business belongs to the past.

The 2 day conference which started yesterday brought together business women in East Africa to network and explore opportunities offered by the EAC Single Customs Territory and the Common Market. It also aims at providing a platform for women to exchange ideas on how to increase affordable financing for their businesses.

Secretary-General of the East African Community Richard Sezibera urged regional governments to ensure that women are empowered and involved in all developmental processes of the country.

“Empowering women is not philanthropy, neither is it charity. It simply is smart politics and smart economics", said Sezibera.

Phylis Kandie, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism acknowledged that women are still marginalized in decision-making processes and have limited access to information and communication technologies in comparison to their male counterparts.

She told policy makers to come up with better strategies that involve women in entrepreneurship in the post 2015 agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals.