Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) organized the program “Basic Entrepreneurship Training” for female entrepreneurs who own small-scale businesses, in order to strengthen the culture of entrepreneurship in South Africa and Lesotho.

TİKA and the Commercialization Center of Istanbul (BTM), affiliated with the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC), held the first phase of the training program in Durban, South Africa, and the second phase in Maseru, the capital of the Kingdom of Lesotho, which is completely surrounded by South Africa, from March 28 to April 1, 2022.

In these two countries, a total of 37 female entrepreneurs from different industries were provided with theoretical training on business plan development, networking, and innovative business approach and applied training on sample business plan review, business idea presentations, and effective communication.

The program motivated the entrepreneurs to diversify and grow their business volume through their existing ways of doing business by increasing the capacities of their businesses, and informed them about the current developments in the global entrepreneurship ecosystem and the actions to be taken in line with current requirements.

In his speech in the opening session of the program in Lesotho, Machesetsa Mofomobe, Minister of Small Business Development, Cooperatives and Marketing of Lesotho, stated that he was pleased with such entrepreneurship training for women, who are in a disadvantaged position in business, and that he hoped such partnerships would continue.

The entrepreneurship training programs, which are attended by those who have a new business idea but do not know the path to be followed, as well as small-scale business owners who wish to grow their businesses, aim to contribute to the expansion of the entrepreneurship ecosystem and support the development of the economies of partner countries.

After the basic and advanced entrepreneurship programs, incubation and business development centers will be established in the countries where the project is implemented.