ExxonMobil Foundation renews funding for Business Women Connect Program in Mozambique

• Program has provided business literacy training for over 1,000 women in Mozambique

In 2022, ExxonMobil Foundation contributed US$300,000 (three hundred thousand US dollars) to TechnoServe Mozambique to carry out entrepreneurship programs focused on women, including BWC initiatives in Maputo and a new empowerment program focused on women in Northern Mozambique. The BWC Program consists of a 4-month training for female business owners, which is followed by bi-monthly mentoring sessions designed to propel the graduates to become market leaders in their industries and enable women to increase their monthly income by up to 30%.

“ExxonMobil is focused on advancing women’s issues and promoting the empowerment of women in Mozambique” said Jos Evens, General Manager for ExxonMobil Moçambique, Limitada. “Through the BWC Program, ExxonMobil has been working with Technoserve Mozambique to promote economic opportunities for women across Mozambique, strengthening families and communities.”

The program recruits women entrepreneurs and provides training in business management with the potential to become mobile banking agents. These agents bring financial services such as electronic cash deposits, transfers and mobile credit services to the community.

"As TechnoServe Mozambique we accept the challenge of supporting women entrepreneurs with the growth of their businesses knowing that the profit generated by these businesses will be invested in their families and thus in the Economic and Social development," said Jane Grob, Managing Director of TechnoServe Mozambique.

BWC has been implemented in the provinces of Maputo, Gaza and Inhambane and has a curriculum that focuses on financial management, merchandise management, marketing, customer service, and investing in the business. Among the beneficiaries, the program has supported owners of grocery stores, restaurants and takeaways, tailors and beauty salons.

Izaira Shaquil, owner of a restaurant in Albasine neighborhood, Maputo, shared, "With the training, I learned that to be successful businesswomen, we must know how to invest smartly and manage finances well."

This year’s program began in January and expects to train 180 women.

###

About ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil, one of the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. In Mozambique, ExxonMobil holds a 25 percent indirect interest in Area 4 and will lead the construction and operation of future natural gas liquefaction facilities. In addition, ExxonMobil was awarded the joint rights to negotiate the Angoche basin (A5-B) and the Zambezi Delta (Z5-C and Z5-D) concessions, as part of Mozambique’s fifth licensing round. Please visit: www.exxonmobil.co.mz or like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ExxonMobilMocambique

About ExxonMobil Foundation

The ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of Exxon Mobil Corporation in the United States. The foundation and the corporation engage in a range of philanthropic activities that include advancing education, promoting women as catalysts for economic development and combating malaria.

About TechnoServe Mozambique

TechnoServe has been providing technical assistance to Mozambique’s industries, agribusinesses, and entrepreneurs with high-growth potential for over 20 years, since our office first opened in 1998. We have helped create a competitive and sustainable commercial agricultural sector, which has generated opportunities for small-scale rural producers and suppliers, in addition to new employment opportunities for the rural poor. TechnoServe also supports the microentrepeurship sector whose businesses have the potential to transform communities but often lack business skills such as financial management.