Remarks

Remarks at the Networking Breakfast
of the 2009 Namibian Women’s Summit
Dennise Mathieu, U.S. Ambassador to Namibia
Safari Hotel and Conference Centre
August 6, 2009
9:00 a.m.

Good Morning.  It's my pleasure to be here at today's networking breakfast. 

And I want to thank our gracious hostess, Anne Gephardt, for this invitation.  I also want to commend her for organizing this year's Women's Business Summit, the third summit in a row.  The program looks great and I am sure you will learn a lot from each other, and hopefully you'll leave with new ideas and skills, and renewed energy to grow your businesses and prepare for success.

Now the fun part of my job is bringing speakers from the United States to Namibia to discuss topics that are important to both Americans and Namibians, and I know you will enjoy hearing from Dr. Sharon Freeman, an entrepreneur, a business woman, an advocate, an academic, and a writer.

The Embassy organizes international visitor exchanges to share ideas and experiences, and to promote a better understanding of American and Namibian values and cultures.  The United States has long championed the economic empowerment of women and their participation in the private sector as business leaders and entrepreneurs.

In his speech in Ghana, President Obama talked about the importance of supporting development through entrepreneurship and creating jobs through business growth.  He said:  "From South Korea to Singapore, history shows that countries thrive when they invest in their people and in their infrastructure; when they promote multiple export industries, develop a skilled workforce, and create space for small and medium-sized businesses that create jobs."

And the new administration views support to women as a critical part of our foreign policy.  Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has appointed the first American Ambassador for Global Women's Issues.  In a recent speech on U.S. foreign policy she highlighted women as one of her key focal points, saying:  "Our development agenda will also focus on women as drivers of economic growth and social stability.  Women have long comprised the majority of the world's unhealthy, unschooled, and underfed.  They are also the bulk of the world's poor.  The global recession has had a disproportionate effect on women and girls, which in turn has repercussions for families, communities, and even regions.  Until women around the world are accorded their rights -- and afforded the opportunities of education, health care, and gainful employment -- global progress and prosperity will have its own glass ceiling."

Through the American Cultural Center we have supported free seminars for women in basic financial literacy for many years now.  Two of Namibia's most distinguished business leaders, Ms. Monica Kalondo and Mr. Martin Mwinga, lead the seminars on our behalf.  Both of them have participated in International Visitor Leadership Programs in the United States, just as Anne Gephardt and many other Namibian leaders have.
 
I am also pleased to note that Monica Kalondo and Anna Ipangelwa were Namibia's first participants in the United States Fortune 500 Women's Mentoring program, which paired business women from all over the world with their counterparts at Fortune 500 companies.  This was the first year that this program was offered to Namibia, and the fact that not one, but two women were selected shows the potential of Namibian women business leaders.
 
History has shown us that when women are active in the marketplace, poverty is alleviated; communities and national economies prosper; family health indicators improve; wealth and jobs are created, especially jobs for more women; and these enlightened women then pursue goals such as better education for their daughters and sons.

And that's why I'm so very pleased to welcome Sharon Freeman to Namibia.
Three years ago, Dr. Freeman participated in a digital video conference with Namibian entrepreneurs to discuss the topic of how to start a business.  I understand the house was packed, and even though the session went over time, there still was not enough time to respond to all of the questions.  So when Anne asked the Embassy to support this seminar, we could not resist the opportunity to invite Dr. Freeman to Namibia to continue the dialogue.

 Dr. Freeman has over 25 years of international experience in more than 100 countries.  She’s been awarded several accolades, including Small Business of the Year, Small Business Advocate of the Year, and Entrepreneur of the Year.  She has tremendous experience in Africa, and has served as an advisor to the United States Trade Representative’s Committee on Africa since 2007.  Dr. Freeman holds a Ph.D. in applied management and decision sciences from Walden University and has authored numerous books and articles, including African Women in Business and Issues Facing African Women-Owned SMEs, both published by the African Development Bank. 

So you might ask if there is anything that she hasn’t done.  Well, for the first time,
she’s visiting Namibia to share ideas with Namibian women entrepreneurs and business leaders.  So, I urge all of you to enjoy the conference, be creative, come up with new business ideas and plans, and ask Sharon lots of questions.  She’s a font of knowledge and I know she wants to share with you. 

Thank you.