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28 August 2008

His Excellency, President Thabo Mbeki
Programme Director, Minister of Public Works, Ms Thoko Didiza,
Honourable Minister of Minerals and Energy, Ms Buyelwa Sonjica,
Honourable Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe,
Honourable Minister for Women and Children's Affairs in Ghana, Ms Haija Alma Mahama,
Founder and CEO, Global Women's Inventors and Innovators Network (GWIIN), Ms Bola Olabisi,
Distinguished businesswomen,
Honoured guests, friends,
Ladies and gentlemen
Dumelang! Molweni! Goeiedag!

Introduction

I am delighted to join you at this launch of the Southern African Women Inventors and Innovators (SAWIIS) Symposium which is a partnership between government departments and the Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network (GWIIN).

We have come together as public representatives, businesswomen, innovators and inventors, researchers and as ordinary women to endorse this initiative "in its unified and consolidated approach (that) will draw the Africans from the Diaspora (and) create a legacy project for women empowerment". It's an idea whose time has come.

The importance of this event is underscored by the fact that it is part and parcel of our celebration of Women's Month. I am sure our guest would have had that we have a national women's day on the 9th of August. But then we take the whole month to celebrate and continue to raise awareness on women issues.
For this purpose, I wish to thank the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) for spearheading this event and take this opportunity to congratulate Minister Sonjica as a patron of the South African chapter of GWIIN. I think MALIBONGWE is in order here.

I also want to thank you for recognising our President. Moreover, I applaud the organisers and sponsors of this gala dinner launch, including the Global Women's Network and the Inter-Ministerial Committee for putting together this landmark event' particularly since focus is on "enhancing the economic activities amongst countries upholding the empowerment of women."

The message is clear:

We are united as one to recognise the contributions made by women and other leaders towards innovation and invention by women, to establish effective networks both on a continental and on a global scale, to create an environment of competitive markets for women, showcase the work of women and nurture innovating thinking, and to facilitate the post-event process that will produce a 10 year legacy booklet on the highlights of women empowerment in South Africa.

Women's Month Legacy

In South Africa the month of August is a time when the whole nation joins women in paying homage to the selfless struggles and brave triumphs of sisters and mothers in their hope to make this a better world to live in. We draw inspiration from those heroines who came before us like the twenty-thousand (20,000) women who marched to Pretoria in 1956 in a struggle for non-racialism and non-sexism. Without doubt, this march was a turning point in redefining the roles of women in the struggle for freedom. Today in our own way, we are redefining the role of women in society and at work. We celebrate the intelligence and creativity of women. We celebrate women, as policy-makers in various categories, such as professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers and so on.
We draw some inspiration from the legacies of women like the Nobel Prize laureate Wangari Maathai and Charlotte Maxeke, who is the first female South African BSc graduate; have left us a legacy of shattering stereotypes. They also left us with a responsibility to raise the bar.

Overview of South African situation

Our government's policies recognise that there is a direct correlation between economic growth and scientific and technological capacity. Innovation in the world of science and technology is a stimulus to shared economic growth, especially for a developing economy like South Africa. If you add women to the mainstream of the world of inventors, you then begin to lift the relevance of the world of inventors.

As part of the government's Ten-Year Innovation Plan for South Africa, we intend to improve innovation and invention so that we further enhance entrepreneurship, job creation and regional development. Of course, this necessitates strengthening partnerships between the research institutions, industry, academia, and government. We have not reached the world average expenditure on research of 2,3 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We are hoping to reach one percent in 2009 from the current 0,9 percent. Africa is a young continent which has to use its predominantly young population to boost its fortunes and to harness the powers of youth.

Women empowerment in South Africa

In South Africa, the empowerment of women has been about dealing with the legacy of apartheid and about the transformation of the whole society. Only if all of society transforms and power relations between women, men, institutions and laws have been aligned, can our work be done.

Why do I emphasise this? I recall the words of the sister from the Diaspora, the poet laureate Gwendolyn Brooks when she says, "We are each other's harvest; we are each other's business; we are each other's magnitude and bond."

Progress and challenges

The women who have come before us, not least the women who marched with determination in 1956, faced jail, death, spousal disproval and even disproval of the liberation movement and their comrades, for they were taking on what was seen to be the task of men. They did not have cell phones, friendly sponsors, email and effective transport, yet they did it. These are the women we must draw inspiration from. And the many more who in their own right advanced our cause.
In our country we have institutionalised representation of women in public institutions and are forging in the private sector slowly.

We have passed legislation aimed at enhancing the position of women and in the fight against women abuse. We have also initiated a programme of Technology for Women in Business aimed at encouraging women to enter the arena of technology and to use this technology to improve the performance of their businesses.

Role models and mentors

For those who have become success stories have the added responsibility to become role models and nurturers of talent, among boys and girls and especially the girl-child. So we can lift as we climb.

You can play your role by:

* advising youngsters to secure their inventions through copyright and patents
* advising them on how to write a business plan
* where to go to access financial support, and by pointing them to institutions such as the National System of Innovation which is a "network of players that interact to constitute the country's innovation system".

I am glad we have with us representatives from corporate giants like Cell C, Blue IQ Holdings, WIPHOLD and other successful leaders and entrepreneurs from the Diaspora who have much to share with us so that we smooth the way for upcoming innovators in terms of mentorship and knowledge transfer. I further encourage you to debunk the myths and stereotypes that are dominant in the mass media about women not being able to be scientists and inventors like their male counterparts.

After all, "We are each other's harvest; we are each other's business; we are each other's magnitude and bond". Our biggest task is to turn the bottom of the pyramid so that we have many more women who have a better quality of life. We need our success stories to massify, because only when we achieve that will or work be done, and our worth as leaders become relevant.

South African action-plans

The government recognises that women are the backbone of the second economy and requires a multi-faceted approach to address disparities. Some of these measures to improve access by women to finances include:

* Micro-financing arrangements where the major financial institutions are provided with incentives to provide loans to women entrepreneurs.
* Skills development and training directed of potential women entrepreneurs in both the urban and rural areas.
* Providing mentorship and learnership opportunities for women seeking to become entrepreneurs.
* Encouraging young female learners to take business courses in high school and in tertiary education.
* Undertaking a communications campaign to champion and profile successful women entrepreneurs in both the first and the second economies.
* Ensuring that women entrepreneurs have access to the incredible wealth of data that government has accumulated with respect to future growth points in the South African economy.
* Gearing women entrepreneurs for success while simultaneously providing a safety net in the event they need more time to succeed.
* Encouraging the private sector to direct and target their spending on social investments towards women entrepreneurs.

Conclusion

In the final analysis, what all people require is to enjoy a better life through innovations and inventions of fearless women entrepreneurs. We need creative and revolutionary ideas from our girl-children and our sisters in all corners of the Diaspora so that we realise our destiny.

As Wangari Maathai says, "women are responsible for their children, they cannot sit back, waste time and see them starve. We are a stepping stone in the form of our very own President. As we speak he has given us an impressive line-up of portfolios for women: And just to name a few.

Department of Minerals and Energy, Department of Public Service and Administration, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Department of Public Enterprises, Department of Education, Department of Communication, Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs and etcetera.

I wish you well in all your deliberations and wish SAWIIS much continued success.

Thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency
28 August 2008