- Women’s Economic Empowerment Workshop in Kokstad: The event, hosted by the Greater Kokstad Municipality and partners, aimed to equip women entrepreneurs and informal traders with essential skills and connections to grow their businesses.
- Focus on Business Development and Market Access: Participants received practical guidance on business compliance, tender readiness, funding opportunities, and connecting to market platforms to expand their reach.
- Part of the National Women’s Empowerment Initiative: This workshop is part of the broader Presidential WEEP program, which seeks to support women-led enterprises through skills development, networking, and operational support.
The Greater Kokstad Municipality, together with the National Empowerment Fund (NEF), The Presidency, and the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature’s Multiparty Women’s Caucus, successfully hosted the Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme (WEEP) Workshop on Tuesday, 19 August 2025 at Kokstad Town Hall.
The full-day event focused on equipping women entrepreneurs, start-ups, and informal traders with essential tools to grow their businesses. Participants received practical guidance on business compliance, tender readiness, access to funding opportunities, and connections to market platforms to expand their reach.
This workshop is part of the broader Presidential Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme (WEEP), a national effort to strengthen women-led enterprises by providing skills, networks, and support to formalise and scale operations.
Local leaders emphasized that empowering women not only strengthens individual businesses but also contributes to thriving communities and growing local economies. Attendees left the workshop with actionable knowledge and new opportunities to develop their ventures.
Officials emphasized that such initiatives are critical for fostering sustainable growth, reducing economic disparities, and encouraging more women to participate actively in the formal economy. The Greater Kokstad Municipality and its partners reaffirmed their commitment to supporting women entrepreneurs and ensuring their continued access to funding, mentorship, and market opportunities.
