The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe says entrepreneurship does not only impact positively on the country’s economy, but improves the social well-being of the country’s people as well. Thabethe was speaking at a Women Entrepreneurs Workshop which was hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) in Boksburg, Gauteng, today.
The purpose of the conference, which was attended by more than six hundred businesswomen from across South Africa, was to share knowledge and information on the use of technology to create sustainable enterprises, and entrepreneurial support for small enterprises.
“It is encouraging to see more and more women taking up the challenge of using technology in their businesses. We recognise their hard work and determination to contribute towards the fuelling of economic growth and the target of creating five millions jobs by 2020,” said Thabethe.
She also said the dti was in the process of reviewing the National Strategic Framework on Women’s Economic Empowerment to ensure that the bottlenecks hindering the participation of women in the mainstream economy were addressed and eradicated.
“This strategic framework will ensure that women-owned enterprises access economic opportunities, their specific economic needs are catered for, and are supported to assist them to grow. Issues of access to technology features prominently in the strategy and will be addressed accordingly,” added Thabethe.
The Director of Agro Tractor House, a small company based in Benoni, Ms Virginia Morule said the workshop was a good concept in that women entrepreneurs got an opportunity to share ideas and information on various aspects of their business, including challenges and inspiring achievements.
“As a small company we appreciate these kinds of initiatives and we encourage other women to attend them for information-sharing and networking. They should be coordinated regularly to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship among businesswomen,” said Morule.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe, Departmental Spokesperson
Tel: 012 394 1650
Cell: 079 492 1774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
Entrepreneurship impacts positively on the country's economy – Deputy Minister Thabethe
