“How Anapidédé Kibandou Betema Turned Farming into a Successful Agricultural Cooperative with AWE”

Despite her two diplomas, one in communication and the other in logistics, the Togolese Anapidédé Kibandou Betema struggled to find work. But having grown up on her father’s farm, she knew how to grow vegetables and raise chickens.

So in 2020, she decided to found an agricultural cooperative called “Société Coopérative Simplifiée Best Choice”. SCOOPS-BC product organic vegetables and allows the farmers of the cooperative to feed their families and generate income. SCOOPS-BC members now cultivate three hectares of land just six kilometers from Lomé, allowing them to share their products cost to customers of the capital of Togo.

Ms. Betema and three other women cultivate peppers and spinach that they sell in Lomé and directly from the farm. Their 350 laying hens produce 70 trays of eggs per week.

Develop self-confidence

In February 2022, Ms. Betema enrolled in theAcademy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE)*, a US State Department program implemented in Togo and 20 other African countries. AWE has enabled some 5,500 African women entrepreneurs from all over the continent to fulfill their dream of becoming a business owner. Additionally, the academy has equipped more than 25,000 women from 100 countries with the knowledge and network of connections they need to start or grow their businesses.

Through AWE, Ms. Betema overcame her shyness and developed her business skills. “I have become independent,” she rejoices. I have confidence in myself and I am able to manage and operate a business. »

“I HAVE BECOME AUTONOMOUS. I HAVE MY CONFIDENCE AND I AM CAPABLE OF MANAGING AND OPERATING A BUSINESS. »

Balancing personal and professional life

AWE’s strategic planning and time management courses have taught Ms. Betema to better balance her responsibilities as boss and mother. AWE also gave her access to the DreamBuilder platform, which teaches entrepreneurial skills ranging from finance to marketing to business administration.

Using the DreamBuilder program, developed by Arizona State University, Ms. Betema rewrote her business plan to better suit her needs. “At the beginning of my project, it was not me whois wrote the business plan,” she explains, adding that she had entrusted this task to a consultant. “But I recognize now that we are the only ones who can write the business plan, because we are the only ones who know what we want our business to look like. »

Share knowledge

After graduating from AWE, Ms. Betema participated in theHeroic Woman Impact Summit*, a global summit for women in business. She took the opportunity to present her business model and learn from the experience of other participants.

« [Les intervenants latino-américains] came to talk to us about how we can do things not only for ourselves, but also for others, she says. You can earn money and manage your business, even if you are a mother and you are confrontee the difficulties that women encounter in the entrepreneurial field. »

guide others

Through training courses that she creates herself, Ms. Betema teaches women how to grow and store organic products as well as how to manage a business while being a mother. She also teaches young women other skills with business opportunities, such as hairdressing and sewing.

“We know that together we can go far, so we do what we can to keep women united so that everyone can succeed,” said Ms. Betema.

This text is adapted of an article* by freelance writer Naomi Hampton, published by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

*in English