New dawn for women’s projects

NDAMA NAKASHOLEThirty percent of the funds that the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) has disbursed so far this year went to women-owned projects.This was revealed by Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila at the SADC Industrialisation Week on Tuesday, during a session titled ‘Women’s Economic Empowerment: Towards a New Trade Policy and Governance’.Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said of the N$380 million in project financing approved this year, N$120 million went to women-owned projects in the areas of renewable energy, meat processing, accommodation establishments and tourism-related business activities.The prime minister said most of beneficiaries of the Equipment Aid Scheme, which helps small businesses to acquire equipment, were women. Since its inception in the 2009/10 financial year, close to 3 000 individual businesses have been assisted to the value of N$218.5 million and the majority of them were women, she said.Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said when women work, they create value; and when women earn, they spend more. “We simply can’t afford for women to participate less in the economic life of this region than men,” she said.“A potential risk that we must be alert to is the exploitation of the gender wage gap to gain a competitive edge in light manufacturing,” she added.Numerical truthAccording to the latest Namibia Labour Force Survey, women’s monthly wages are on average 16% less than those of men. This pay gap is experienced in advanced countries as well.Globally, the average pay for women in 2017 was US$12 000, compared to US$21 000 for men.“We are required to come up with interventions to eliminate barriers for women’s participation in the economic sector,” the prime minister said, adding that the government developed a legal framework to ensure equal opportunities for men and women.These include the Affirmative Action (Employment) Act, the Labour Act, the Revised National Gender Policy and the Public Procurement Act, among others.Food providersKuugongelwa-Amadhila further said that work tends to be segregated along gender lines. Women are more likely to work in certain sectors, with lower skills and lower pay.“Given the concentration of women in agriculture, it is crucial to consider how changes in the economy that can be brought about by trade changes will affect incomes in this sector,” she said, adding that women make up two thirds of the agricultural labour force and produce most of the food on the continent.Pulling togetherKuugongelwa-Amadhila, who became Namibia’s first woman prime minister in 2015, said if a woman is in a position of power, she should reach out to a young woman and give her guidance and amplify her voice.She further urged trade policymakers to listen to women producers and traders.“If you are a statistician, help us all by providing gender disaggregated data,” she said.

New dawn for women’s projects

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Republikein 2026-09-18

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New dawn for women’s projects

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