By Theresa Goodwin
A local company, Jans’s Empowerment Institute, has partnered with the United States Embassy for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean to launch an entrepreneurship programme that will benefit 30 females in the first instance.
The US State Department-sponsored Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), seeks to promote prosperity by creating opportunities for women with business ideas to become successful entrepreneurs.
The programme is also designed to promote, strengthen and grow entrepreneurship locally by supporting the growth of females in the field.
United States Ambassador for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Linda Taglialatela spoke about the background of the project, explaining that the White House initiative started in 2019 by the daughter of former president Donald Trump, who discovered through her travels that talented women did not have a proper platform to showcase their skills.
“There are women all over Africa creating beautiful items. Even in the Caribbean there are a lot of women with the talent who have no idea how to develop a business plan and how to market their creation,” the Ambassador said.
She spoke to another challenge faced by many female entrepreneurs, which is access to funding.
Founder and Executive Director of Jan’s Empowerment Institute, Janese Henderson said the programme will have four components: Live Training for 14 weeks via the zoom platform, Mentorship Sessions, Community Service Projects, and a Pitch Competition.
“The aim of the programme is not just to provide knowledge, but networking opportunities and, with that in mind, the participants will be paired with mentors from across the region and internationally for a period of three weeks. The mentors will also guide them and provide assistance for the pitch competition,” Henderson said.
Some of the other topics to be covered throughout the course of the programme include, starting your dream, exploring your dream, planning your dream, making your dream, marketing and selling it, business pitching, public speaking, personal branding and networking, and action plan and goal setting.
The programme will be launched today following a brief ceremony to be held this afternoon at the Environment Division.
The AWE Antigua and Barbuda programme will run from July to November 2021.