The Department of Small Business Development will be hosting a breakfast session to celebrate the International Women’s Day and finalise the Draft Strategy on Mainstreaming of Gender, Youth and Persons with Disabilities in the Mainstream Economy

The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) is scheduled to celebrate the International Women’s Day at a breakfast session that will also finalise the Strategy on Mainstreaming of gender, youth and people with disabilities in the mainstream economy on 10 March 2023 under the theme: DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.

The DSBD, together with the European Union Funded Ecosystem Development for Small Enterprise Programme (EDSE) are currently developing an Integrated GEYODI Mainstreaming Strategy for the Small Business Development Portfolio. Over the past 6 months, several consultative meetings have been held with various stakeholders locally, nationally, and internationally to identify and discuss best practices that can be incorporated into the Strategy.

The economic empowerment of women, youth and persons with disabilities (GEYODI groups) is an essential to the industrialization and structural transformation of South African economy. The objective of the envisioned Strategy includes identifying and allocating critical resources and interventions to support and enable targeted groups to participate fully in the mainstream economy.

In addition, this event will be joined by high profile women in business in the likes of Founder & Executive Chairperson of Mmakau Mining (Pty) Ltd and Pan African Parliament Ambassador for Women Entrepreneurship and Economic Development in Africa, Ambassador Bridgette Motsepe, who will be reflecting from her practical experiences in business as well as the Chairperson of the Commission on Gender Equality (CGE), Advocate Nthabiseng Sepanya-Mogale.

Source: Government of South Africa