Online Reporter
Harmony Agere [email protected]
CABINET ministers have pledged continued Government support for young women seeking to enter and expand businesses, highlighting opportunities in finance, tourism, agriculture and mining.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the Second Young Women for ED Business Convention in Harare yesterday, Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, said the Second Republic had implemented various programmes aimed at economically empowering women.
“As Government and the Second Republic we are doing a lot to uplift women,” she said.
“Through Empowerbank we have created livelihoods and we have seen a lot of lives being transformed.”
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbra Rwodzi said women had significant opportunities to participate in the tourism and hospitality sectors, both in urban and rural areas.
“There is a lot of space for women in the tourism sector,” she said.
“Whether you are in the city or the village you can come together and create catering companies and other businesses within the hospitality industry.”
Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr Polite Kambamura said Government wanted to see more women participating in the mining sector, noting that opportunities extended beyond physical mining activities.
“The number of women in the mining sector is still very low and we want more women to take up more jobs and businesses in mining,” he said.
“When people hear about mining, they think of digging and hard labour but there is a lot to choose from in the whole value chain.”
Dr Kambamura said Government had put in place measures to facilitate greater participation by women in the mining sector.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Dr Anxious Masuka said his ministry also has empowerment measures targeting women to increase their participation in the agriculture sector.
The ministers encouraged young women to take advantage of opportunities available across different sectors and contribute to the country’s economic development.
Young Women 4ED national chairperson Cde Tatenda Mavetera said the organisation remained committed to supporting the Government’s development agenda and Vision 2030.
She said the second convention was more than a gathering, as it also marked five years of the organisation’s existence and provided an opportunity to celebrate its achievements while strengthening its programmes.
“We want to pledge our support today and say that as Young Women for ED, we remain a proud affiliate,” Cde Mavetera said.
She added that the organisation had made progress in implementing programmes aimed at empowering young women, while acknowledging the support it had received from the Zanu PF Women’s League.
She said the organisation’s programmes were aligned with national development priorities and were designed to build the capacity of young women to contribute meaningfully to the country’s economic development.
Cde Mavetera also expressed support for the Constitution Amendment (No. 3) Act, adding that it should be understood within the context of the country’s national development objectives and Vision 2030.
Cde Mavetera said the longer electoral cycle would provide scope for Government to plan, implement and evaluate development programmes over an extended period.
Harare Metropolitan Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Senator Charles Tavengwa, said his province considered it an honour to host women from across the country for the gathering.
“As a province, we consider it a distinctive honour to host women from all provinces as they come together for this important milestone,” he said.
Minister Tavengwa said the province was home to a significant number of Young Women 4ED members whose aspirations and values reflected the Government’s development agenda.
He also commended the movement’s growth over the past five years, saying its development had been followed with admiration.
“To the national chairman (Cde Mavetera), I say we have watched with admiration as this movement grew in the last five years,” he said.
