Sao Tomé & Principe
São Tomé women entrepreneurs promoted by new female PM

afrol News, 20 October - The first female Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe, Maria da Neves, has barely been in office for two weeks. Still, today she found time to open the exposition "Hands of a Woman". Mrs Neves seems serious in her attempts to promote women on the archipelago.

Mrs Neves was proud to open the exhibition by the Association of Women Entrepreneurs holding her new title as São Toméan PM. It gave even more glamour to "what the hands of a woman can create," as Mrs Neves described at the opening.

The Association of Women Entrepreneurs explicitly had called the exhibition "Hands of Women" to demonstrate to São Toméan men - used to have their wife at home - and encourage-seeking women "how much the feminine hands are capable to make." Exhibited items included clothes, agricultural products, decorated vases, paintings, artisan laces and much more, according to the local media 'Téla Nón'. 

PM Neves, who is the country's ex-Minister of Economy, exploited the exhibition's suggestive title in pointing at women's fairy, which allow them to make such impressive things, so that they certainly also could contribute to the growth of the national economy. "Here, we see a variety of articles that reflects the ability of women to make pretty things, things that can contribute to the growth of our economy", she emphasised. 

The PM further said that the exposition demonstrated the potentials of promoting women to embark on private business initiatives, to promote the self-employment of women with the aim of reducing unemployment and to fight poverty. 

Mrs Neves in particular had the growing tourism industry in mind when she called on women entrepreneurs to throw themselves into business. Handicraft is in high demand and women have been in the forefront of developing articles of interest for tourist.

Also male reporter of 'Téla Nón', Fernando Branches, was carried away by the successful opening of the São Tomé exhibition, noting that the once tiny group of women entrepreneurs now forcefully had demonstrated their importance to the country's economy.

Sources: Based on press reports, UN sources and afrol archive

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