A Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)-supported partnership between Homelink Financial Services and traditional leaders to encourage women inclusion in financial services sector in Matabeleland is shaping up, with a lot of women having set up business projects funded by the initiative.
BY SILAS NKALA
The partnership was initiated at the invitation by chiefs from Matabeleland North and South during a financial inclusion training programme conducted by the Homelink Financial Services. The RBZ subsidiary has conducted some financial inclusion training workshops for chiefs in the two Matabeleland provinces recently.
These chiefs in Matabeleland have of late been engaging various government authorities in the country to lobby for developmental projects in their region.
Home Link Financial Services has promised to assist organised women groups to market their products both at local and international level and has since invited them to participate at the Harare Agricultural Show this year.
In a letter directed to Homelink Financial Services Harare, dated August 13 this year, copied to RBZ Governor John Mangudya, Chief Vezi Maduna Mafu said he was happy with the organisation’s initiative to assist women in Matabeleland.
“During the financial inclusion training of chiefs from Matabeleland North and South provinces, you extended to us business invitations that we bring a list of business women from our areas of jurisdiction and I am happy to say we have identified groups of women from Binga, Beitbridge, Insiza, Umzingwane, Umguza and Nkayi,” Maduna wrote.
“They have different products to showcase from their areas. In your invitation, you mentioned the provision of transport and accommodation of the participants.”
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He said the groups of women will be accompanied by two female district administrators, one female Chief Sinqobile Mabhena of Umzingwane and District Administrator (DA) for Beitbridge (Kiliboni Ndou), DA for Nkayi and the chiefs’ secretary, Nothiwani Dlodlo.
“Truly, I am very happy for these steps and initiatives as they prove your total commitment to financial inclusion to the rural comminute and this is also a good private sector partnership with traditional leadership,” Maduna said.
The traditional leader said women groups from Gwanda district, Insiza, Mangwe, Matopo and Bulilima districts had asked to bring a group of five women per district through the Matabeleland South provincial administrator’s office.
He said names were yet to be submitted to the Homelink offices, requesting the organisation to contact Dlodlo for progress’ sake.
Dlodlo said he was yet to get communication from the organisation, but all was in order as the partnership seemed to be succeeding. The Harare Agricultural Show is expected to run from August 27 to September 1.
“Homelink will act as a local and export market linkage for products that will be showcased by these women groups,” Dlodlo said.
