A few days ago, the British High Commission in Mozambique held a Business Forum with the aim of connecting women entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized enterprises and mega-projects.

The meeting brought together women from various business areas in Mozambique and representatives of mega projects to discuss strategic solutions to the challenges of entrepreneurship at local and regional level.

In a context of a challenging business environment, with barriers intensifying for women entrepreneurs, the forum made it possible to demystify the challenges of market access, financing and the provision of services or partnerships between SMEs and large businesses. One of the solutions addressed was the provision of technical and business management training, designed to meet the challenges of the market.

On the occasion, the British High Commissioner in Mozambique, Helen Lewis, said that the great challenge of the moment is to define mechanisms that allow these reserves to be used to generate jobs locally, promote the development of local industry and bring local businesses up to the standards required internationally in order to ensure that the Mozambican people, and women in particular, can enjoy inclusive economic growth.

The UK government promotes the economic empowerment of women around the world through direct development funding, support for women's empowerment initiatives and by creating platforms to connect women entrepreneurs with potential business partners at various levels.

The Business Women's Forum brought together dozens of women entrepreneurs and high-level representatives from MIREME, the British Government in Mozambique and the management of Banco Comercial e de Investimentos - BCI, MOZUP and Total Energies.