Question NW1191 to the Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities

Reply:

The Department of Women Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD)  continues to contribute and strategically guide on the inclusion of women into the mainstream economy, by promoting the meaningful participation of women into all socio-economic activities of the country and ensuring that this is done comprehensively and in a financially inclusive manner.

It does this in the following ways:

1. Promoting an all-inclusive approach to Women’s Financial Inclusion;
2. Facilitating an enabling operating environment for mainstreaming women’s financial inclusion in government and private sector institutions;
3. Promoting financial inclusivity through equitable access to ownership and control  of all economic activities for women;

1. Lobbying the private sector, non-government organisations and international organisations to incorporate the inclusion of women in their policies, programmes, projects and products;
2. Mobilising resources to support campaigns and programmes that promote the inclusion of women in the economy;
3. Coordinating, collecting and disseminating information  on best practices  relating to the inclusion of women across all sectors of our economy;
4. Strengthening the capacity of women in leadership, management, control and entrepreneurship.
5. Sharing best practices relating to the economic emancipation of women

To this effect the DWYPD has undertaken the following economic empowerment and participation interventions in the previous FY:

DWYPD held a webinar with DFl’s and the ESEID cluster to promote the financial inclusion of women, facilitated the coordination of an Integrated Entrepreneurship Development Programme (IEEDP) to streamline programmes of implementing departments, hosted a capacity building workshop on opportunities within the Sanitary Dignity Programmes Economic Value Chain and coordinated an Enterprise Trade Fair for Women to not only promote inclusivity but further sustainability of Women Owned Businesses.

In the 2021/2022, the department would be embarking on a National Radio Talk Show. It is envisaged to be an impactful awareness raising tool which will reach over 30 million listeners, especially those from communities in rural and township areas. The shows would emphasize the importance of compliance with requirements for business operations in the country as well as raise awareness of opportunities for women owned businesses within public procurement.

Approved by:
Ms M Nkoana-Mashabane, MP
Minister
Date: 28 May 2021