Providing Technical and Administrative Support to Advance Gender Equity and Economic Justice for Women in South Africa

Genesis-Analytics provided administrative and technical assistance to the South African Presidency Economic Justice and Rights (EJR) Programme. The EJR Programme seeks to improve women’s economic empowerment within South Africa and the region. 

Our work focused on promoting preferential procurement supporting research and advocacy on productive assets and advancing women’s financial inclusion. Our activities included effective human resource capacitation, fund disbursements to the National Empowerment Fund, development and dissemination knowledge products and convening outputs.

Through our support and technical assistance, the SA Presidency has been successful in:

1. Hosting industry workshops with the energy sector through the Women’s Economic Assembly (WECONA)
2. Holding a strategic planning session where participants reflected on 2023 progress and planned actions for 2024
3. Documenting and showcasing initiatives to enhance women-owned businesses in agriculture, energy, automotive and mobility sectors at UNGA 2024
4. Launching the WECONA website and social media channels
5. Attending the Presidential Roundtable at the AU Summit 2024
6. Developing and disseminating various policy briefs on financial access and digital IDs for women and a legal review of barriers to women’s economic participation in Africa
7. Hosting a High-Level Consultative Forum on Advancing Gender Transformative Economics in SADC and Africa
8. Hosting the 2025 Annual WECONA Summit

With funding from Gates Foundation, we have been able to support Gender Equity by reinforcing and enhancing South Africa’s capacity to advocate for women’s economic justice and rights. 

A highlight of this project was the A High-Level Consultative Forum on Advancing Gender Transformative Economies in SADC and Africa, which was the first convening of its kind, bringing together over 60 participations, comprising a rare combination of gender leaders that included permanent secretaries, deputy ministers, business representatives  and community groups.

The outcome of the consultative forum was a commitment statement, formulated and endorsed by permanent secretaries and their representatives from Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

Acting as rapporteurs for the event, we were responsible for producing the event report and commitment statement endorsed by permanent secretaries during the event.

Our support to the Presidency has ensured continued momentum and heightened attention toward gender equity in South Africa and the region.

You can access The state of women-owned MSME financing in Africa report here.

You can access the Legal review to women's economic participation in Africa report here.