Government has reaffirmed its commitment to providing training for women entrepreneurs to equip them with the skills needed to compete for government tenders.
Delivering the first State of the Nation Adress (SONA) of the seventh democratic Parliament at the Cape Town City Hall, on Thursday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country’s economy has long been hindered by the exclusion of the vast majority of the South African people.
He said Black South Africans have been deprived of essential resources, including land, capital, skills, and opportunities.
“Our economy was starved of the potential of its people, and that is why we need to transform our economy and make it more inclusive. That is why our focus is on empowering Black people, women, and persons with disabilities, because they were deliberately excluded from playing a key role in the economy of their own country,” President Ramaphosa said.
He announced the establishment of an annual R20 billion transformation fund over the next five years to fund Black-owned and small business enterprises.
The President also committed to fast-track the regulations of the Public Procurement Act to ensure businesses owned by women, youth, and persons with disabilities receive equitable opportunities in government contracts.
He noted the transformation initiative, through the National Skills Fund Disabilities Programme, launched in November last year, with an aim to empower over 10 000 people with disabilities is in its first phase through tailored training programmes, stipends, and specialised tools.
“This part of the work we must undertake as business, government, labour and civil society to enable persons with disabilities to play an important part in the economy of our country.”
Through these programmes, the President emphasised that government was unleashing the potential of the country’s economy for sustained growth.
“We want a nation where there is work for all, where every person can earn a decent living and realise their potential, where the rights of workers are protected and working conditions are improved, and where women and men receive equal pay for work of equal value,” President Ramaphosa said.
The President emphasised the need to ensure that growth creates jobs for all, especially for young people.
The success of the Presidential Employment Stimulus showed how public employment programmes could create meaningful work that generated a wider benefit and contributed to sustainable employment.
“The employment stimulus has created almost 2.2 million work and livelihood opportunities through innovative models that provide high-quality work to participants. The Social Employment Fund has created over 80 000 jobs this year [and] has supported more than 12 000 participants to enter entrepreneurial activities.
“During the past year young people secured 235 000 work opportunities through the National Pathway Management Network, which is underpinned by the SAYouth.mobi platform.
“We now need to build on these innovative programmes to create jobs for youth at even greater scale,” the President said. – SAnews.gov.za
