Women Entrepreneurs Strengthen Their Financial Skills with Support from INAMU, CATIE, and CAF

• From the Caribbean to the Pacific, women entrepreneurs are transforming their relationship with finance and enhancing their businesses with practical tools and specialized advice from these institutions.

As part of the project Strengthening Women's Capacities for the Development and Management of Green and Blue Economy Projects/Enterprises in Costa Rica, the second Financial Management Workshop was held from February 12 to 27.

This project aims to promote women-led enterprises in rural and coastal areas of the country. It is funded by CAF—the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean—and executed by the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), with support from the National Institute for Women (INAMU).

The workshop aimed to develop financial skills in 77 women entrepreneurs from four regions of the country. Through theoretical and practical sessions, participants received tools to strengthen their business management and improve their sustainability.

The sessions were held in the Huetar Caribe Region (Limón), Chorotega Region (Liberia), Central Pacific Region (El Roble de Puntarenas), and Brunca Region (Ciudad Neily).

Facilitators Susana Acuña and Anthony Gamboa, specialists in sustainable agribusiness from the Environmental Economics and Sustainable Agribusiness Unit (UEAAS/EfD), guided the participants through key topics such as financial education, cost structure, cash flow, and financial indicators evaluation.

Impact and Meaningful Learning

The participating entrepreneurs expressed their satisfaction with the knowledge gained. Olga Vargas Jiménez, from Ujarrás de Buenos Aires de Puntarenas, shared her experience: "This is a challenge for me because numbers are very difficult for me. However, I have several activities on my farm, and now that I returned after the training, I am practicing everything to manage numbers better, and I have faith that I will achieve it."

María Ángela Sequeira Barboza, an entrepreneur from Nicoya with a business focused on traditional corn-based cuisine, highlighted the importance of learning about financial management: "I learned how to value money, meaning what we invest: cost and profit. I also learned how to determine the cost of what I invested compared to what I earned. Professor Anthony explained how to quantify these costs in my region's signature dish, gallina achiotada. Now I know how much it costs to prepare a portion and how much profit I make. A key lesson learned is that the business profit is for the business and should not be used for other things. Also, it is important to value my work and put a price on our time."

Aimará Espinoza Ulate, advisor to the Minister on Women's Affairs and to the Executive Presidency of INAMU, highlighted the impact these workshops have had on the participants: "The objectives have been met. The participating women entrepreneurs are very happy and state that accessing this knowledge in a more accessible way has been very beneficial to them."

"Thanks to the strengthened alliance between CAF, the National Institute for Women of Costa Rica, and CATIE, women micro-entrepreneurs in rural and coastal areas of the country are strengthening their capabilities to scale their businesses," emphasized Barbara Auricchio, Principal Executive of the Gender Directorate at the Development Bank.

An Effective and Practical Methodology

Anthony Gamboa, workshop facilitator, emphasized the importance of financial management for business sustainability: "From a young age, we are often taught that mathematics is complicated, which creates a certain fear of it. It was especially rewarding to see how the women entrepreneurs in the workshop assimilated and applied the learned concepts through an adult-learning approach."

For her part, Susana Acuña highlighted the methodology used in the workshop: "I am very happy to have been part of this workshop as a facilitator from the CATIE team. It was inspiring to see so many women entrepreneurs eager to strengthen their financial management knowledge. Although some considered it a complex topic, they recognized its importance for their businesses."

Next Steps for the Project

According to Carolina Rueda, CAF representative in Costa Rica, "Concrete and practical initiatives like this, focusing on the intersectionality of gender and rurality, contribute to economic recovery and job creation. Additionally, they allow us to provide tools for the empowerment and financial autonomy of these women entrepreneurs."

The project will continue with two more workshops in each region between March and June, along with virtual capsules on biodiversity, gender and empowerment, administrative procedures, and the use of SICOP. Additionally, each entrepreneur will receive specialized technical advice to improve their business management. To conclude the process, a regional fair will be held in each of the four regions to promote and showcase their businesses.