THE Women’s conference occurred at the Hyatt Regency in Harare on Monday.
The conference focused on grassroots funding models that reach women where they live, trade, and build their business ventures.
With strong emphasis on financial independence rooted in savings discipline, credit access and ownership, speakers won the hearts of participants who included women involved in poultry production, cross-border traders, and private school owners, to mention but a few.
It attracted a total of 400 plus participants from across the country’s provinces.
In African cultures, particularly in Zimbabwe, it is believed that women are the bedrock of families and the growth of the economy.
Women are foundational to economic stability and growth, driving development through workforce participation, entrepreneurship, and high rates of reinvestment in household health, and education.
Closing gender gaps could boost the global economy by higher percentages as women’s empowerment accelerates poverty reduction and national productive.
Women invest up to 90% of their earnings back into their families and throughout communities, specifically in nutritional health, and educational needs, creating a long-term, positive economic ripple effect.
Women are a critical force in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), which often provide the majority of jobs, particularly in developing economies like Africa.
In the past, women only provided immense, often undervalued contributions through unpaid caregiving and household work, which underpinned the productivity of the labour force.
Empowering women is, therefore, not just a matter of equity, but a vital strategy for fostering stronger, and more prosperous economies.
The Women Empowerment Funding and Investment Conference 2026 was a stage where women participants were urged to advance informal trading by creating structured businesses with global qualities of being trusted, believed, and accepted as true and honesty.
The Chief Executive Officer for Sharpe Business Academy Dr Rutendo Mudzamiri spoke on the importance of professionalism.
“It is an essential trait for individuals, organizations, or information sources, combining expertise and trustworthiness to make them reliable” Dr Mudzamiri said.
She urged women to focus on growth, strong systems and digital platforms to unlock wider markets with new opportunities.
“It is often measured by how convincing, someone presents facts, rather than just the accuracy of the facts themselves “ she added.
Dr Mudzamiri related her experience of having mobilised over 24 million dollars in Funding, she challenged the common beliefs that structure comes after growth.
On the same note, the COMESA Federation for Women in Business chairperson Ms Edna Murazhizha also extended encouragement to women, to believe in themselves and formalise businesses to unlock funding opportunities and remain competitive.
The Sharpe Business Academy chairman Mr Kenneth Sharpe vowed his vision to empower people, improve and uplift communities from poverty bringing prosperity, while encouraging entrepreneurs to remain grounded in their values.
A businesses leader from Kazakhstan emphasised that Zimbabwe and her country share a common vision that of empowering women to grow independent businesses.
The BeWoman Asia founder Zhanna Khan stressed strong potential for collaboration between women entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe and across the Asian community.
