This is a program to stimulate entrepreneurship and the development of innovative businesses to solve challenges, and is promoted by Standard Bank, in partnership with the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and IdeaLab.
The head of the Small and Medium Business Segment at Standard Bank, Érica Noormahomed, explained that the bank dedicated this edition to women because it believes that women are the driving force of society and drivers of the economy, regardless of the sector in which they operate.
"Women occupy a prominent place in society and, in this sense, we want to help them in their insertion in the formal business sector. They represent the creative cream of our country. So we have to empower them, to help each other. We hope that you will use the knowledge and tools that have been transmitted to you, and that in a while you will come back not to learn, but to present your companies. Bring your ideas to life and become successful women," said Érica Noormahomed, addressing the participants.
For her part, the manager of the "Incubation4Empowerment" project within the Employment and Skills for Development in Africa (E4D) program, implemented by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), Sindy Karberg-Manuel, emphasized the importance of this training for the participants, to whom she assured there are support initiatives for the implementation of their business ideas.
"This training will be very helpful in your entrepreneurship journeys. We want to know what your biggest barriers and needs are so we know how we can help you, and perhaps create more support initiatives. We need a strong and favorable ecosystem for women that offers opportunities for them to develop their ideas and contribute to the development of the country," she stressed.
Still regarding the relevance of iDeate Virtual, the co-founder of IdeaLab, Tatiana Pereira, considered that the initiative represents the first step for those who want to start organizing their ideas to start or leverage their business.
"Get courage and start transforming your ideas into concrete things. We all can be entrepreneurs and the world would be a different place if we all had an entrepreneurial spirit," Tatiana Pereira appealed.