Economic empowerment for South African women will be the focal point of this year’s annual Women’s Month celebrations.

Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Lulu Xingwana, unveiled the 2011 Women’s Month programme on Sunday in Pretoria.

“We will use Women’s Month to highlight the economic empowerment of women as a critical element of success for South Africa’s efforts to achieve the targets on economic growth, including the creation of five million jobs within the next 10 years, as outlined in the New Growth Plan. We agreed that women economic empowerment should be the main focus of this Women’s Month celebrations for this year,” she said.

The programme emphasises the role of women as equal partners in the economic, social and cultural development of society, as well as ending economic marginalisation of women.

114 Management Today | August 2011