VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN) - Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith has lauded the role of businesswomen in boosting economic development and advised them to use their strengths to benefit the whole nation.
The prime minister made the remarks while addressing a meeting organised by the Lao Business Women’s Association (LBWA) in cooperation with the Lao Women’s Union in Vientiane on Friday.
President of the Lao Women’s Union, Dr Inlavanh Keobounphanh, LBWA President Mrs Chanthachone Vongxay, the LBWA board and hundreds of businesswomen from across the country attended the meeting under the theme “Building motivation for running businesses for getting up-to-date in the digital era and leaving no one behind”.
“Women have the same rights as men, and it’s good that they actively contribute to national development,” Mr Thongloun said.
He noted that many women had become excellent supervisors and leaders in a variety of sectors and praised their efforts in cultural preservation.
“However, to be more successful, women should be braver, work harder and more astutely to maximise their strong points, such as diligence, modesty, economy, and morality, to benefit themselves and the country,” Mr Thongloun said.
“I would like businesswomen to create more products of good quality and that attract more consumers,” he added.
He encouraged women entrepreneurs to help local people to make products for sale, which would help create jobs and reduce poverty in line with the government’s policy.
Mrs Chanthachone advised women to heed the prime minister’s advice and presented a summary of the association’s work and its plans for the second half of 2019.
“In the first six months of the year, the association actively responded to its role and tasks, building solidarity among its members and assisting them to run businesses following the new economic policy of the Party and State,” she said.
The association also actively encouraged businesswomen in the provinces and regularly led its members in organising or participating in business workshops at home and abroad, Mrs Chanthachone added.
The association has grown stronger and currently has 558 members around the country, including 388 from the provinces, and many had embraced business in the digital era, she noted.
