Women entrepreneurship in the spotlight

STATEMENT BY THE CITY’S MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND ASSET MANAGEMENT, ALDERMAN JAMES VOS.

The number of South African women in the early stage of entrepreneurship dropped by 15,7% in 2018. This essentially means that only 18,8% of business owners in the country are female, according to the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs Report.

Yesterday, I was delighted to address the 5th Annual Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF).

With only 18,8% of women-owned business in this country, this is not a statistic we can be proud of. We need to do all we can to support more women to become entrepreneurs.

I can confirm that the City is working tirelessly to increase this number by providing, for example, funding to projects like the Top Tech Tools for Women in Business.

This is a flagship programme that creates a supportive space for women entrepreneurs to gain comprehensive learning experiences of the tech tools available to help with the growth and development of their businesses.

The AWIEF conference brings together more than 1 200 women entrepreneurs, industry experts, academics, development organisations and investors to ensure accelerated growth of women-owned businesses in Africa.

It provides a strategic platform for women from across Africa – and across sectors – to connect, share ideas and collaborate.

The City has a role to play in driving economic growth in our region, primarily through providing stable governance, delivery of infrastructure, and constantly finding ways of making it easier to do business.

Earlier this year, we opened The Business Hub, a walk-in centre, situated at the Strand Street Concourse in the city centre that provides support and advice to entrepreneurs and start-ups. Contact telephone number 021 417 4043, email business.support@capetown.gov.za.

The City assists businesses by putting them in contact with support organisations, including investors and mentorship programmes. This helps to find the right financiers, suppliers and partners within the region.

Cape Town is a strong and supportive base from which to invest, expand and export.

My departmental strategy is to make Cape Town the go-to-city in Africa and globally for business and investment. We are a springboard to the rest of the continent, connecting businesses to opportunities for African growth.

As the Event’s Capital of Africa, the City of Cape Town is proud to be associated with this event, which seeks to promote inclusion and empowerment of women to ensure they are active participants in the economy.

We support and partner with events such as this to help women entrepreneurs bring their innovative business ideas to life.

In Cape Town we value, nurture and inspire ideas. We believe in the power of ideas to shape the future and unlock Africa’s potential.