The Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation (IPATC) in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg’s Research Chair in Welfare and Social Development at the CSDA and The Department of Politics and International Relations, Strategic Initiatives and Administration, and the Faculty of Humanities. hosts the Women’s ImPACT Innovation and Sustainability in Africa Conference annually as part of its efforts to advance sustainable economic empowerment for women in line with the SDGs and Agenda 2063. It brings together researchers, financiers, activists, public servants and others from across the world to deliberate on challenges and opportunities for women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment.
The event included various panels and keynote addresses that explored themes around gender dynamics, financial inclusion, education, innovation, climate change, governance and leadership within the African context.
It examines how entrepreneurship can alleviate gender-based violence, the challenges of digital financial inclusion for women, and the role of education and technology in promoting gender equality. Discussions also focussed on the feminisation of poverty, with particular attention to religious influences and socio-economic factors in African communities.
Additionally, the conference addressed governance issues, including the underrepresentation of women in political leadership and the role of higher education in fostering sustainable development, aligned with global and continental frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063.
Prof Tanusha Raniga, Interim DST/NRF Research Chair in Welfare and Social Development at the CSDA, was a member of the conference organising committee, which helped to shape the themes and key areas of the conference. Prof Raniga also welcomed the audience on day two of the conference and chaired a session titled Strengthening Institutional and Policy Frameworks, Funding and Networks To Advance Women’s Entrepreneurship, which discussed the historical context of women in entrepreneurship from Mbame in Cameroon, the impact of intersectionality on entrepreneurship policies in Southern Africa, enhancing marketing capacity for women sewing entrepreneurs in Dodoma, Tanzania, and assessing the transformative potential of entrepreneurship support for Black women in South Africa’s emerging sectors.
“The conference gave prominence to the core theme: Advancing Sustainable Women’s Economic Empowerment in Line with the SDGs and Agenda 2063. Over two days, 14 and 15 August, the conference plenary and break-away sessions provided delegates with the opportunity to debate, discuss and share experiences and to generate practical policy considerations for fostering women’s economic inclusion and sustainability in Africa.
More importantly, an African feminist perspectives provides women with a valuable system of ideas, social practices and cultures as essential to understand African women’s individual and collective, personal and political experiences in contemporary times.” – Prof Tanusha Raniga