gender and business

Recently a friend of mine was asked to give a speech on challenges affcting women in business and what his organisation was doing to reduce gender inequalities in Zambia. He was also asked to give personal experience concerning gender issues in the country.
He asked me go through his speech just to ensure that he was saying the right thing. I was happy to help him becasue this wasa high level meeting which would listen and take into account issues facing women in the country.
I told him about how women were being marginlised in terms of expanding their businesses. Women are unable to access long term financing because they are regarded as high risk people. This for me is an understatement because women are the most entrepreneural in my country. Women will do as much as they can to raise money so that they take care of their families. But in the eyes of the financier that is not the case it is about making money without regard of what is actually happening on the ground.
Many women want to improve their businesses but lack of financial litracy inhibits women from achieving this. As I alluded in my first journal ignorance is the number one killer in my country becasue people have no acces to knowledge.
I tell women that i interact with that education is not just about the number of years you spend in school, it is about getting the skills and learning to be efficient in the things you do. And i know most women have a hinger for information they want to know what they are supposed to do to make their lives better.
CK