The City of Johannesburg’s Social Development Department will host an Entrepreneurship and Women Economic Empowerment programme on Tuesday, 7 June 2022, at the Dhlamini Multi-Purpose Centre in Soweto, Region D.
The City has partnered with the Opportunity Centre Unit, Department of Trade and Industry, the Gauteng Department of Economic Development as well as the United Nation’s Hand in Hand Southern Africa to bring the programme to Soweto.
“Economic empowerment increases women’s access to economic resources and opportunities including jobs, financial services, property and other productive assets, skills development, and market information. Women’s economic participation and empowerment are fundamental to strengthening women’s rights and enabling women to have control over their lives and exert influence in society.
“It is about creating just and equitable societies. Women often face discrimination and persistent gender inequalities, with some women experiencing multiple discrimination and exclusion because of factors such as ethnicity or caste,” Litshani Sidimela says Region D1 Programme Coordinator.
The objective of the programme is to provide women with basic information on how to be a successful entrepreneurs, provide access to business funding, increase women participation in meaningful township economic activities and to provide women with access to information on education and training, employment, self-employment, citizenship and healthy lifestyle and wellbeing.
The City has recruited from 15 wards and has assembled a total of 150 women in this year’s economic empowerment seminar programme to promote gender equality and empower women as catalysts for multiplying development efforts.
“Investments in gender equality has the potential to yield relatively highest returns of all development investments. It is argued that women usually invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities than men,” adds Sidimela.
The City envision that participants will develop knowledge and encouraged to commence meaningful participation in the economy in order to ensure sustainable living and escape systematic poverty traps. Sidimela says empowering women is necessary for sustainable development, poor growth, and the achievement of all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Written by Gontse ‘GeE’ Hlophe
03/06/2022