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Mozambique Chronology 1 - 30 April
State of the Environment Info:Reporting Concemptual Frameworks

   Five years after the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, women in southern Africa are intensifying their struggle for economic recognition as they seek to tackle the root causes of gender inequality.

    Opportunities for southern African women to diversify their economic roles beyond semi-subsistence food production, casual employment and small-scale marketing have not been readily available. Historically, low levels of educational attainment have provided the background to limited female involvement in formal sector job markets. But for the few who have been accorded the opportunity, they have proved to be as competent as their male counterparts, both in business and management.

    During the preparations for the Beijing Conference, as well as afterwards, many Southern African Development Community (SADC) states undertook initiatives to bridge gender inequalities in economic structures and policies in all forms of productive activities.

    However, within the region, efforts to mainstream gender into development strategies and activities have yet to make wide impact.

    “Women are in the majority in Africa, slightly above 52 percent, yet they are in the minority when it comes to meaningful participation in the economic development of the national economies,” according to the SADC Gender Programme Report 2000.

    Although women’s economic concerns are increasing in the region, their economic status has not improved. Women are employed in lower status and lower-paying jobs due to lack of confidence by males with regard to female skills, expertise and abilities to manage.

    However, women play key roles in the economies of all SADC member states. According to Beyond Inequalities Women in Southern Africa, a forthcoming book by the Women in Development Southern Africa Awareness (WIDSAA) project, statistical data indicate that in Zambia, women contribute 80 percent of the labour force in food crop production, more than 50 percent in cash crop production and 95 percent to household and family maintenance. The trend is similar to the other southern African countries.

    However, the majority of these women lack access to, ownership and control over productive resources.

    Having realised the problems faced by women, the SADC Gender Department through governments, has initiated training programmes throughout the region, to enable women to acquire the skills and expertise needed to start income-generating projects.

    In Mauritius for example, a women’s entrepreneurship unit was established to provide support and guidance to women and to respond to their needs. Mauritius is also in the process of starting a micro credit programme, to help poor women set up businesses.

    Initiatives in Zambia include the Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO), the Small Enterprise Promotion (SEP) and Village Industries Services (VIS), which are government initiatives supporting micro enterprises.

    Similar programmes have also been established by other countries such as Swaziland, Malawi and Tanzania.

    Women in Business organisations also play a major role in the economic empowerment of women. The last decade has seen the emergence of a number of women organisations in the region.

    The main purpose of these organisations is to foster entrepreneurial activities among women such as lobbying and advocacy for an enabling business environment and training for business growth.

    For these organizations to succeed, members need to make sacrifices and make extra efforts. “It appears that many members do not fully realise that each organisation needs their efforts and devotion in order for it to grow, thrive and render service to them,” says Lydia Kellogetswe of the Women in Business Association in Botswana.

    It was through such organisations that women entrepreneurs in the region realised the necessity of working together and formed a network called the Women In Business-SADC Network (WIB-SADC).

    The WIB-SADC Network is a concept which was started by Women in Business and Skills Development from Zimbabwe and adopted in 1996 by WIB organisations within the SADC region.

    The main purpose of the network is to ensure economic empowerment of women in business in order to alleviate poverty through productivity.

    “Lamenting about marginalisation of women and demanding equal opportunities does not help. Women should design programmes and activities that will lead to creating equal opportunities and meaningful participation in national economic development,” says Phides Mazhawidza, WIB-Zimbabwe.

    It was during the third WIB-Network conference that the idea to host the first-ever gender-focused Investment Forum was adopted. Delegates elected Namibia to host the fair and President Sam Nujoma was elected as the Patron.

    The trade fair which took place from 3-5 May 2000 and was attended by 240 exhibitors from southern Africa, “was a demonstration of breaking the isolation of small-scale women producers by giving their products commercial exposure and providing a forum for discussion on constraints faced by women in the informal sector,” said Mazhawidza. Women, who are often denied commercial access, demonstrated through their produce that there can be no sustainable development if they are isolated from key economic activities.

    The fair focused on small and medium-scale women entrepreneurs. Products exhibited included textile and clothing, crafts and arts, building materials, hair and skin products, processed food and many others.

    The organisers of the fair realised that women in the region do not know the products and raw materials available within the SADC region and Africa. As a result they source goods from elsewhere, creating employment outside Africa.

    “The Trade Fair aimed at ensuring economic empowerment of SADC women through creation of opportunities for women in business to identify new markets and products within the region, ” said Ndeshi Kukuri, secretary general for WIB-SADC Fair.

    A number of women during the fair got orders from international companies to export their products.

    The Trade Fair was also used to share ideas and experiences on exploitation and utilisation of local raw materials. One such fine example was the use of the Marula fruit in the production of the popular Amarula liqueur.

    But women in Namibia showed other uses for the Marula: “other women where the fruit is grown can have a chance to learn how soap and skin oil is made, so that they can venture into the same business,” said Mazhawidza.

    In his opening speech to the fair, Namibia’s President Sam Nujoma, patron of WIB-SADC, heralded women entrepreneurs from the region for their commitment to economic emancipation. He said there is a need to change the world’s perception of women entrepreneurs as more than informal traders and traditional business operators.

    He further encouraged women to “stand-up and be counted, by operating meaningful businesses and expose yourselves to business management skills and trade information.”