WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND COOPERATIVES DIALOGUES AS ACCESS TO DEVELOPMENTAL INFORMATION

Government Communication and Information Systems (GCIS) in the Eastern Cape is embarking on a series of empowerment programmes aimed at providing women access to information on economic and developmental opportunities by government. This drive is under the 2025 Women’s Month overarching theme: “Building Resilient Economies for All” which is anchored within one of the priorities of government, i.e. driving and inclusive growth and job creation.

Through ward-based pre-implementation environmental assessment process, this initiative is targeting women mainly in rural villages and townships in the Eastern Cape. Most of those targeted are unemployed and out-of-school women who predominantly rely on government social security package to sustain themselves. GCIS has partnered with various institutions such as Agriculture, Eastern Cape Economic Development, Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Fisheries, TVET colleges, Universities, private sector (bank institutions), SETAs, SEDA, IDZs, Municipal LED sections, Department of Small Business, Isiqalo Youth Fund as well various Development Finance Institutions (DFIs).

This initiative comes after community and grassroots activations recently undertaken by GCIS and other stakeholders to profile women’s month programmes as well as building-up to the Provincial Woman’s Day that was celebrated at Fort Hare University on 9 August 2025. These activations were used to mobilise women for the upcoming District/Metro based women entrepreneurship and cooperatives dialogues by GCIS. Below is the Province-wide outline of women entrepreneurship and cooperatives dialogues and the media is invited as a key communication partner.

Members of the media are all invited to be part of the programmes. For more details, please liaise directly with GCIS office representative in all the eight (8) local offices (Districts & Metros) in the Eastern Cape.