Hon. Dr. Naomi Shaban, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Development inaugurated the 3^rd Women Enterprise Fund Advisory Board. The Board
is expected to spearhead the mandates of the Women Enterprise Fund empower women and to implement the goals set in WEF’s

Launching the Board at the Ministry’s headquarters at NSSF building, the Minister lauded the previous Board for a job well done, challenging the incoming Board under the chairperson of Mrs. Ann Mutahi to emulate their predecessors and work even harder if the more women are to benefit from the Fund and hence be economically empowered.

Hon. Shaban challenged the Board to critically look at the some of issues that impede their effort, they include:-

• Public awareness; though the Fund is three (3) years old, many women, especially those in the rural areas are not aware of its existence.
  
• Politics; there is a misconception about the Fund’s rationale, with some thinking that it is a political Fund. The Fund should be insulated from politics for sustainability.
  
• Costs of accessing the loans and repayments; women are traveling long distances to access information and the mediums of loan disbursement.
  
  The Minister said the Board must look for the best ways to conclusively address other challenges such as:-
  
  
• Complaints of stringent conditions by some of Financial Intermediary Partners have been received; the onus is thus on you as a Board to approach these institutions to relax these conditions to facilitate access to the Fund.
  
• Drought and insecurity: - majority of women beneficiaries are in the rural areas, they engage in subsistence agricultural related activities. It is paramount that you seek ways to improve their farm outputs in a bid to increase their yield; this will go along way in promoting food security and hence improve their livelihoods.