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Date: 24/10/2006
Source: Department of Trade and Industry
Title: Thabethe: Address to women in Ghana


Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe addresses Ghanaians in Accra

Chairperson
Ghanaian Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry
Ghanaian Deputy Minister of Children's Affairs
High Commissioner to the South African Embassy in Ghana
Government officials from South Africa (SA) and Ghana
Representatives of organisations
Women entrepreneurs from Ghana and South Africa
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Good morning to you all. I would like to thank the government of Ghana, the women entrepreneurs, our very own South African Embassy for making all of this possible. To all the Ghanaians who have graced us with their presence, we are indeed humbled by your response and for taking time from your busy schedules to engage with us. My delegation and I will certainly make this forum worth your while.

Fortunately I have been in Ghana since Saturday and have had the opportunity to be a business tourist. Through this I have been exposed to the real people and a bit of the culture of this beautiful country. My name is Elizabeth Thabethe, one of the two Deputy Ministers of Trade and Industry, responsible for Consumer issues as well as issues of the second economy. Two officials, my daughter and 10 women entrepreneurs accompany me on this visit. They are mainly involved in the clothing and textile industry and are all members of the South African Women Entrepreneurs Network (SAWEN) from different provinces of SA.

Honourable Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, I first wish to forward an apology from our First Lady Mrs Mbeki, who could not join us today due to prior commitments, which were effected by the change of the dates of this visit. She sends her best wishes to the leadership of this forum, its participants and the people of Ghana. As part of my remarks I will share with you the purpose of our visit; locate this within the broader African process facilitated by our leaders; reflect on why women entrepreneurship is critical; areas of focus for possible collaboration and closure.

As I have already indicated, this is my second visit. Last year when I was here, part of my visit was being linked up with leaders in government to see how we could further strengthen the already existing trade relations with this country. From the warm reception, and good discussions I had with the ministers, we agreed that there is indeed a genuine need to further extend the already established trade linkages to include women entrepreneurs.

I promised to return, and here I am with my delegation. Part of my coming back was the realisation that women entrepreneurship in this country have and continue to be, leading best practices on the continent and around the world. The establishment of our very own SAWEN was also motivated by the successes you have achieved through your own similar structure. It is therefore no coincidence that today the very same is part of this forum.

Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, apart from this I am also aware of the fact that both countries' women face the same challenges. Likewise, our women continue to have limited access to credit, they continue to have dual family and business responsibilities, which hamper their full participation in the broader economy, limited access to finance leading to no ownership of land, amongst others.

As much as this happens to be the case, a winning characteristic that the two countries also share is the realisation that this situation needs to be addressed. I am convinced that the main reason behind this is both countries see women entrepreneurship as a valuable resource that, if properly supported, can be a strong, effective backbone of our economy. We are learning in South Africa that women entrepreneurship has a multiplier effect that has a great potential to address other critical socioeconomic needs, like education and health, which are central for development.

Honourable ministers, ladies and gentlemen, I request that we also locate this initiative within the context where our leaders are trying to address both political and economic challenges faced by our continent. This includes the commitments made by various African states through the roadmap provided by the African Union (AU) and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), to collaborate to achieve greater unity and solidarity for the development of our respective people and our continent.

As indicated by President Mbeki, as Africans we need faster ways to accelerate change and implement the programmers of the AU, particularly its development programme, NEPAD. We have to collaborate better to end conflicts and wars, ensure the all-round development of the masses of our people and advance towards the realisation of the goal of African unity. The role and commitment for the further advancement of women entrepreneurship is central towards the achievement of these.

Honourable Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, women entrepreneurship can and has played a critical role towards economic development. Through their enterprises, they create jobs for our local people thus reducing unemployment and uprooting poverty in our communities. The people employed are thus enabled to provide for the basic needs of their families. Working together with government, with the necessary support, they have the means of managing sustainable and profitable enterprises.

This in return ensures that others have the financial ability to provide their families with shelter, food, basic healthcare, basic education, etc. Women entrepreneurship presents us as government with another vehicle for developing economic survival tactics that will go beyond even these very basics, including generating wealth for themselves, their families, their communities, our country, our region and the continent at large. Together this plays a vital role in assisting us to achieve mental stability, peace of mind, spiritual revival and enrichment, all of which is the cornerstone for the sustained economic development needed by South Africa and Ghana.

Honourable Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, without wasting too much time, allow me to indicate to you what it is that we as South Africans are interested in as part of further strengthening this relationship. This is informed by our own research conducted where we have studied the economic trends of Ghanaian women entrepreneurship. These include the following:

Agriculture and Forestry

Apart from your cocoa product that accounts for 30 to 40% of total exports, your other food crops and livestock are by far the most important contributors to output, making up around 25% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We have identified this as critical for partnership. Fortunately last week, we in South Africa have recently launched a forum for rural women under the leadership of our current Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs.

Through this structure and SAWEN, we would appreciate exchanging best practices around the effective farming methods and how to best engage with the relevant market. Obviously there is also another possibility of exporting some of your products to us. Around forestry, we would like to pursue business focusing on the exchange of skills. Ghanaians produce some of the best woodcraft items, where together with the possibilities of entering into the design of furniture manufacturing, our women can excel. Both countries can lead in producing Afrocentric furniture products, now in high demand around Africa and Asia.

Mining

South Africa is famous for its gold mines, which include the deepest mines in the world, requiring cutting-edge technologies. In addition to still being the top gold producer in the world, South Africa is also the top producer of platinum, rhodium, chrome, manganese, vanadium, vermiculite, and alumino-silicates. It is also a significant producer of coal, diamonds, antimony, copper, fluorspar, iron ore, lead, nickel, titanium, zinc, and zirconium. In all, 707 mines produced 55 minerals and accounted for 7,5% of GDP in 2001.In South Africa we have the South African Women in Mining Association (SAWIMA), of which some of its leading members are leaders of SAWEN. In this sector we can work together where our focus can be around beneficiation, such as the production of Afrocentric designs of jewellery.

We have already made strides in our country through companies like Nozala Investments and projects like Kgabane. Securing and facilitating access to the mining rights for women is a possibility for us now and certainly we can work with Ghanaian women on these. We can facilitate initiatives like diamonds for development where we change the negative history of corruption, smuggling and poor management of diamonds.

Industry and manufacturing

We, as South Africans, are very interested in your thriving garment and textile industry. I hope you have noticed that the century for African fashionable outfits has arrived and in South Africa our young up and coming designers have heeded this call. This is the area where women from both countries should dominate.

With your renowned effective and efficient tailor services, there can be a great exchange of skills and great collaboration. National garment prints like kente, seshweshwe, umbhaco and isidwaba need to be promoted as part of the current fashion trends. The interior cor trends offer our women a great opportunity, which lies in our hands due to it being tied to our family responsibilities.

Services

We have also identified tourism and the financial sector for possible collaboration. Through your stunning national parks and reserves combined with our breath taking mountains and white beach sand, much can be facilitated. Enterprises like travel agencies, bed and breakfast establishments as well as boutique hotels present our women with great opportunities. Skills and information exchange initiatives can be looked at. As we prepare for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, continuing to host various international forums, we need to find ways of ensuring that our guests don't leave SA without making a turn in Ghana.

Regarding the issue of finance, currently my department is working around the establishment of the Women Entrepreneurs' Fund. We need assistance on how we can better ensure that women who tend to be classified as belonging in micro industries, can access this. Without this fund benefiting these very women, our fund will not make the desired impact. This is about mainstreaming women's involvement and participation in the main economy.

Honourable Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, these are just some of the possible areas of co-operation as part of advancing women economically. In all of these, SAWEN is the main vehicle for driving these. Its current leadership, including its newly appointed president, deputy president and national council, is prepared and committed to make this a success. This leadership, supported by us, will further pursue the finalisation of this partnership.

To conclude, I would like to leave you with the words of President Mbeki who said, "All of us as political leaders, as workers, as businesspeople, youth, women and the intelligentsia have a duty to fight against poverty and underdevelopment as well as to ensure that as Africans we define ourselves, not in the image of our former colonisers but in the spirit of our African ancestors, who bequeathed so much to the human race. I am certain that through our determined and collective struggles, we shall overcome."

Once more, I thank you most sincerely for embracing our visit and responding so positively. Let us work together to further realise the objectives set for realising the economic emancipation of our women in Africa. Africa belongs to both its men and women, both must share the responsibility for ensuring its peace and prosperity!

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Trade and Industry
24 October 2006
Source: Department Trade and Industry (http://www.dti.gov.za)

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