14 August 2007
August is Women's Month in Limpopo and to celebrate the occasion the
Department of Local Government and Housing is acknowledging the developmental
role of women. The MEC, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, today awarded R21,1 million to
21 local economic development (LED) projects at a function held at Elim High
School sports grounds. The receivers of these awards will be mainly women.
The initiative has been taken by the R300 million Limpopo Local Economic
Development (LED) programme which is being funded by the European Union in
partnership with and implemented by the Department of Local Government and
Housing (DLGH).
"The Limpopo LED programme is an integral part of the province's strategy to
reduce poverty through pro-poor economic growth and is also aligned with
national government priorities. Most of Limpopo's citizens subsist in the
marginalised second economy, however they have assets such as resituated or
communal land which are often unutilised or under utilised. Well constructed
LED programmes enable them to think globally and act locally," says
Nkoana-Mashabane.
The MEC further said, "LED programmes support the people of Limpopo to
develop their assets through, for example, tourism or agriculture. This enables
them to enter the mainstream first economy, national and even international
markets."
"The LED programmes are an important means to get the people of Limpopo out
of the poverty trap and to reduce their dependency on the state. They are our
way of making poverty history," says Nkoana-Mashabane.
Limpopo has a well-defined LED framework that has been approved by the
provincial executive council and is closely aligned with the provincial growth
and development strategy (PGDS) and with national priorities.
Each of Limpopo's five district municipalities has held growth and
development summits and adopted LED strategies and local municipalities have
adopted LED strategies as part of their overall integrated development
plans.
For more information, please contact:
Clayson Monyela
E-mail: monyelatc@limdlgh.gov.za
Cell: 082 806 7405
Issued by: Department of Local Government and Housing, Limpopo Provincial
Government
14 August 2007
