Hendricks opens TWIB conference in Mpumalanga

Published:  8 August 2003 Archived: 15 August 2003
The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Lindiwe Hendricks opened the 6th TWIB conference held in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga today. In her opening address Hendricks said women need to be more exposed and encouraged to adopt technology in order ‘to unlock their creativity and potential.’ Over 600 women entrepreneurs from the country’s nine provinces are attending the annual conference, which will be followed by the awards ceremony in honour of women who have successfully exploited technology to grow their businesses or enterprises. The awards ceremony will be held tomorrow. The Technology for Women in Business (TWIB) was established in 1998 by the Department of Trade and Industry and it has the responsibility to grow the economy, create jobs and reduce socio-economic inequalities in the country through improving the use of technology by women enterprises. This year’s gathering is being guided by the theme: ‘Technology Access – Linkages and Opportunities.’ One of the key issues that is being addressed during the gathering is how women entrepreneurs can access the products and services offered by the department of trade and industry. Delegates have also been informed of the impact that TWIB has made during the year. The Deputy Minister told the conference that TWIB has used technology workshops, to create awareness about available technology, its use and access to it as well as the impact that the organisation is making on young women through its Techno-Girl programme. The programme exposes these young women to science and technology and also encourages them to pursue careers and start businesses in these fields. The Deputy Minister emphasised that this Techno-Girl programme had made a concerted effort to include women from rural areas. In encouraging women to increase the use of technology in their businesses with the support of TWIB the Deputy Minister said ‘technology-based solutions identified through TWIB must enable women to be innovative and creative when developing their business products. ‘These products must compete and find a place in the international markets and be branded Proudly South African,’ she said, to the applause of the delegates. Commenting on the growth of the TWIB programme over the last five years, and the issues for discussion during the conference, Hendricks reminded delegates that the ‘resolutions of this gathering will inform the business strategy that will be adopted for further growth and development of TWIB.’ ‘There is no doubt that the success of TWIB has been and will be determined by how its managers, its supporters and, more importantly, its beneficiaries understand what TWIB is,’ she added.