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THE US – SOUTH AFRICA WOMEN INITIATIVE

Women Empowerment Model : A Government Strategic Response

by

BONGI LUDIDI : CHIEF DIRECTOR GENDER & WOMEN EMPOWERMENT – DTI

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

DATE:- 21-26 OCTOBER 2011

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

• The dti and its Vision and Mission

• Location of the Gender & Women Empowerment Unit• Role of the Unit and Flagship Programs• Supporting Legislation• Status of Implementation

• Unique Challenges Facing Women as Entrepreneurs

• Women Empowerment Model : A government Response

• Summary of Interventions

• Reflections on the MoU

• Conclusion

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VISION OF THE DTI

The Department of Trade and Industry’s vision is of a South Africa that has a vibrant economy, characterised by growth, employment and equity, built on the full potential of all citizens.

To achieve this, the dti has become an outwardly focussed, customer-centric organisation

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• Provide leadership to the SA economy through its understanding of the economy, its ability to identify economic opportunities and potential, and its contribution

• Act as a catalyst for the transformation and development of the economy and respond to the challenges and opportunities of the economic citizens, in order to support the government's economic goals of growth, employment and equity.

• Respond to the challenges and opportunities in the economy and society.

• Provide a predictable, competitive, equitable and socially responsible environment for investment, enterprise and trade.

MISSION

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LOCATION OF THE GENDER UNIT

GWE is located within the Empowerment & Enterprise Development Division meant to facilitate broad participation and the overall restructuring of South Africa’s economy- MAINSTREAM ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION

To promote, contribute to and provide the following:

• Gender - sensitive programs for trade and industry;• Promote and provide support to the competitiveness of women –owned business

enterprises• Entrepreneurial support for women• Lobbying and policy advocacy

Vision & Location

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SUPPORTIVE POLICIES

POLICY ENVIRONMENT

Integrated Small Enterprise Development Strategy

BEE Strategy, BEE ACT, BEE Codes of Good Practice

Cooperatives Development Policy and Draft Strategy

Preferential Procurement Policy

Industrial Policy and IPAP

SA National Policy Framework for Women Empowerment and Gender Equality

SUPPORTIVE POLICY ENVIRONMENT

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OVERVIEW OF POLICY IMPLEMENTATION

32% of women Entrepreneurs83 % informal61% African

37% of SA adults with no

financial Products29% of black women

do not have bank accounts

38% householdsHeaded by

African femalesAn average of 40 %of women

attending antenatal clinics are HIV-infected

In KZN, 30% in SA in general

14 % of Black Women employed compared to 28%

of black men70% males workers earn

1000+ compared to

53% females

PreferentialProcurement

Ownership and

Management

Women in Leadership

16,8% of Executive Managers and 11,5% of

Directors

Poverty

Entrepreneurship

BEE

Mainstream Economy

•Low participation of women in BEE transactions

•Unequal sharing of growth•Decision influenced by male

domination•Hindering of growth which affect

employment levels

Unable to grow and share•Unable to access financial

assistance•Unavailability of collateral

•Unavailability of collateral•High rate of illiteracy

•High rate of influx to the urban area

STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION

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UNIQUE CHALLENGES

• Nearly all women- owned enterprise belong to the lower end of the SMME category, being either very small or micro sized companies.

• Approximately 70 % of informal businesses in South Africa are owned / controlled by women and experience little support and servicing from government

• Despite the fact that women – women-owned enterprises are contributing to the share of the national revenue, they are generally perceived to lack the capacity and competencies of their male equivalents and thus marginalized.

• Fragmentation in implementation

• Poor participation of ordinary women

• Uneven geographical spread of the programs

CHALLENGES FACING WOMEN

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CHALLENGES SUMMARISED

Barriers related to the size of women entrepreneurs include:

• Limited investment capital; and

• Limited access to markets

• Constraining SMME regulations

• Limited resources to information retrieval

CHALLENGES

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RESTRUCTURED WOMEN EMPOWERMENT MODEL: A GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

Government’s Response :- A two –pronged process of mainstreaming and specific interventions :-\

◘ MAINSTREAMING : BASED ON THE 50% TARGET SET BY GOVERNMENT ON ALL PROGRAMS

- 10 Set Aside Products and IPAP TWO SECTORS

- Facilitation of participation in both local and international markets - EMIA and TEO

- Provision of entrepreneurial support services - Seda Programs,

◘ WOMEN SPECIFIC PROGRAMS

- Bavumile – A capacity Building and Skilling Program

- Isivande Women’s Fund –

- Incubation and TWIB - Provision of access to IT and ICT entrepreneurial services

- Sawen - A platform for advocacy, lobbying, access to opportunities and markets.

RESPONSES

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RESTRUCTURED WOMEN EMPOWERMENT MODEL: A GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

- Leveraging the capital expenditure programme and broader government procurement to stimulate demand and support the local manufacturing base- Initiating women owned factories in line with the 10 products and IPAP Sectors.

- Improving competitiveness of local industries by intensifying awareness campaigns on incentive schemes that the department currently offers.

- Addressing growing global protectionism through active participation in multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations.

RESPONSES

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GOING FORWARD & CONCLUSIONS

• Enhanced cooperation with key stakeholders including women

associations to enhance joint implementation and outreach .

• Intensify our research in the area of women enterprises/ gender equality to gain better understating of the opportunities and the challenges presented.

• Introducing Women into higher value add production in the 10 Set Aside Products and those of IPAP 11.

• Inclusion of new entrants in the economic space, to move towards a region and sector targeted approach.

FORWARD LOOKING

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SUMMARY OF INTERVENTIONS

• Managing fragmentation in women initiatives

• Complement the department's women empowerment strategies to ensure the participation of ordinary women

• Improving the geographical spread of the programs

• Meeting South Africa’s development objectives

SUMMARY OF INTERVENTIONS

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THE USA-RSA MODEL

• Understanding the US Economy and the legal imperatives

• Learn from the Efficient and Effective US Models

• Formalise the training, skills development and technology support measures in various sectors of the economy

• Ensuring the participation and empowerment of Women

• Improving the geographical spread of the programs through strategically identified projects.

THE USA-RSA MOU ON WOMEN

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THANK YOU

SIYABONGA !!!!