by NR INDRAN / INT
Mumbai : With an objective of empowering women for economic advantage 
and promoting women entrepreneurship, the Deputy Minister of Trade & Industry in the Republic of South Africa, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe in collaboration with FLO – the women’s wing of FICCI organized an exclusive interactive session for the visiting South African delegation in Mumbai. The primary objective of this session was to promote entrepreneurship and professional excellence in women by providing a very good platform for networking and exchange of ideas.
FLO and the Department of Trade & Industry (the dti) share the common goal of women empowerment and the session was aimed at promoting Indo-South African trade relation and explores business opportunities. The delegation of 45 Business delegates was led by Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry in the Republic of South Africa, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe.
“Women empowerment is an issue very close to my heart. Women now have a major role in the global economy and that has been evident in India and South Africa. Today’s workshop focuses on the same aspect which is what brings me here. An entrepreneurial culture will help uplift the quality of life of women, including their family, community, and aid in the economic development of the country. The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) & FLO will continue to play a catalytic role in ensuring that women who commit to taking their roles in the economy by engaging in entrepreneurship activities get the necessary support that they require.” said Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry in the Republic of South Africa, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe.
The women’s delegation were a part of the Investment and Trade Initiative (ITI), which was kick started in Chennai, India on March 20, 2012 and was attended by more than 100 businessmen from South Africa and India. The purpose of ITI is to promote trade and investment opportunities in the targeted sectors in the two countries.
“We are honored to receive the South African delegation in India to help us with our objective of women empowerment. FLO endeavors to empower women without compromising on their dignity and self-respect. Hence we continuously try to bring more and more women deserving under the ambit of our programmes. We understand that working together with the South African delegates will help us to enhance the different talents of women through its various coaching initiatives and this step is surely move in the right direction,” said Mrs. Sucheta Shah, Chairperson FLO Bombay chapter.
You can contact author @ nr_indran@rediffmail.com
