Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and KwaZulu-Natal MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Bongi Sithole-Moloi have launched the provincial Women Economic Assembly (WECONA).

WECONA is a catalyst platform for women owned/managed/led businesses/enterprises, anchored on collaboration between government, the private sector and civil society.

It is an ongoing initiative aimed at encouraging women to be economically active with the objective of bringing together the private sector, government and civil society to drive change in the economic landscape.

“Throughout the continent, women entrepreneurs are not just business leaders; they are role models. Through mentorship programs, training workshops, and community initiatives, they are nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs, ensuring that the legacy of women in business continues to thrive,” Dlamini Zuma said on Thursday in Durban.

The provincial assembly is aligned with the Pillar 5 of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide that calls for “the need to create more economic opportunities for women who are vulnerable to abuse due to poverty, unemployment and social inequality.”

“Through WECONA, there have been transformational conversations with the industry associations and representatives to establish procurement targets to ensure [that] women-owned businesses have increased levels of participation within business value chains by advocating for the implementation of 40% preferential public procurement for women - owned businesses.

“These dialogues have led to the implementation of game-changing initiatives in several sectors, including the financial industry and automotive sectors,” the Department of Women, Youth and People with Disabilities said.

Source: South African Government News Agency