Summit aims to empower women

REMOVING barriers for effective economic participation of women is critical for empowering and creating equitable, inclusive and sustainable womenowned enterprises.

Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said this to delegates attending the Women Empowerment Conference, which the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Commission hosted in Pretoria recently.

Davies said that increasing the number of black women who managed, owned and controlled enterprises and productive assets would eradicate barriers to economic participation for black people, including black women.

Explaining that women made up more than 50% of the population, that their potential could not be limited and that B-BBEE could create an enabling economic environment for women to stretch the country’s productivity in all sectors.

“The objective of the B-BBEE Act is to increase the extent to which black women own and manage enterprises, and increasing their access to economic activities, infrastructure and skills development.

“To achieve this, black women must have access to financial and non-financial assistance to acquire equity in companies or to start their own businesses and be able to sustain them.”

Portfolio committee on trade and industry chairperson Joan-Mariae Fubbs said women were the vanguard of economic freedom, but had yet to enjoy its benefits.

The triple exploitation of women in society had been reduced, but not yet eliminated, she said.

“Poverty, unemployment and inequality, which affect women the most, has been identified as a serious impediment to radical transformation and should be urgently addressed.”