BWFS agri-business project to empower women
Tuesday, 03 Apr 2012
She said through the project, which was launched last week, they would release the economic potential of women and chances were high that this would contribute immensely towards the economic recovery of the country.
"As we are all aware, the whole world not Swaziland alone is facing economic challenges, so the forum too is no exception. We would have loved to help as many women as we can but due to the ongoing recession, our financial assistance has declined.
"Nevertheless, with the little that we have, we thought we should not sit down and wait for millions but get started. This project is currently assisting 20 women from the Manzini region and we hope to expand as and when we get more financial assistance," she said.
Dlamini appealed to the private sector for support in this initiative, urging them to treat it as part of their corporate social investment. She said in order for economic empowerment of women to be achieved there would be need for adequate investment in human resources development and in the strengthening of governance institutions so as to increase the impact of policies for poverty reduction.
Dlamini said meeting the challenges of promoting gender equality and empowering women as enshrined in millenium development goal (MDG) number three, required an action-driven approach. She said this approach was cognisant of the importance of private-public sector dialogue and cooperation.
Adding, Dlamini said it was the forum’s vision to adopt such an approach to push the issue of gender equality and women economic empowerment in Swaziland. She said the issue of economic empowerment of women required deliberate actions to ensure success in this MDG.
"The BWFS, as the representative body of business women in Swaziland, through assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has developed an advocacy and communications strategy which amongst other things highlights some of the obstacles that hinder women economic empowerment in the country.
"The strategy also highlights the steps that need to be taken in order to get where we, as women in business, would like to be in the future," she said.
