De Beers Group and UN Women Forge Powerful Partnership to Empower Over 1,200 Women Micro-Entrepreneurs in Southern Africa

In a landmark collaboration underscoring a deep commitment to global gender equality and economic empowerment, De Beers Group, in proud partnership with UN Women, has officially launched an ambitious three-year capacity-building programme. This transformative initiative is meticulously designed to significantly enhance the livelihoods of more than 1,200 women micro-entrepreneurs across three vital Southern African nations: Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. This program represents a crucial step towards fostering sustainable economic growth and creating lasting opportunities in regions where they are most needed.

Empowering Women Through Essential Business Skills and Sustainable Growth

The core objective of this comprehensive programme is to equip women micro-entrepreneurs with a robust foundation of essential business and management skills. This tailored approach aims not only to build their confidence but also to significantly boost their capacity to successfully operate, manage, and scale their small businesses into thriving enterprises. Recognising the unique challenges faced by women in the informal sector, the curriculum is designed to be highly practical and immediately applicable, ensuring participants can translate learning into tangible results.

The training modules will meticulously cover a wide spectrum of critical business concepts. Key areas of focus include strategic market access, which is vital for expanding customer bases and increasing sales; effective strategies for growing market share in competitive environments; and practical methodologies for consistent income generation. Beyond revenue, the programme emphasizes the importance of job creation within their communities, empowering these entrepreneurs to become significant contributors to local economies. Furthermore, participants will receive extensive training in effective decision-making processes, honing their communication skills for better stakeholder engagement, and mastering negotiation techniques to secure more favorable terms and opportunities. By providing these holistic skills, the programme seeks to transform survivalist micro-enterprises into sustainable engines of economic progress.

A Localized Approach for Maximum Impact and Long-Term Sustainability

Understanding that a one-size-fits-all approach is insufficient, the programme is specifically tailored for each participating country – Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. This localized delivery model ensures that the training content is culturally relevant and addresses the specific economic contexts and challenges prevalent in each nation. De Beers Group and UN Women are collaborating closely with expert local implementation partners, leveraging their deep understanding of community dynamics and existing networks.

The initiative strategically targets regions characterized by high levels of unemployment and limited formal job opportunities, maximizing its potential for positive societal impact. A cornerstone of the programme’s design is its inherent focus on long-term sustainability. This is achieved by investing in the capacity building of locally-based trainers who possess an intimate understanding of the particular hurdles faced by women micro-entrepreneurs in their own communities. These trainers will not only deliver the initial curriculum but will also facilitate access to crucial peer support networks, fostering a collaborative environment where entrepreneurs can share experiences, advice, and resources. This ongoing mentorship and support system is critical for participants to effectively implement their newly acquired skills and navigate the complexities of business growth over time, ensuring the program’s legacy extends far beyond its initial three-year span.

Leadership Voices: Bruce Cleaver on De Beers’ Commitment to Women

Bruce Cleaver, CEO of De Beers Group, expressed his profound enthusiasm for the programme’s launch, articulating it as a cornerstone of De Beers Group’s unwavering commitment to championing women and girls worldwide. He particularly highlighted the significance of this initiative in their diamond-producing countries, where women play an indispensable role in strengthening and sustaining their local communities. Cleaver emphasized a powerful socio-economic truth: “When you support women business owners, you support a community more broadly as women are proven to reinvest more of their income back into the community and to actively support the creation of jobs for others.” This statement underscores the profound ripple effect of empowering women economically, leading to improved family well-being, better education, and enhanced community infrastructure.

Through these meticulously crafted programmes, De Beers Group aspires to equip women entrepreneurs with not just skills and training, but also the invaluable confidence needed to construct and maintain successful, resilient, and sustainable businesses. This strategic investment in women is viewed as an investment in the overall prosperity and stability of the communities that form the backbone of De Beers’ global operations.

Leadership Voices: Anne Shongwe on UN Women’s Vision for Economic Empowerment

Anne Shongwe, UN Women Representative for the South Africa Multi-Country Office, lauded the partnership and programme as a vital complement to existing national efforts aimed at job creation and the economic empowerment of women. She explained that by robustly supporting women micro-entrepreneurs through bespoke capacity building, the initiative directly addresses their daily challenges in highly practical and actionable ways. Shongwe insightfully pointed out that micro-enterprises, particularly those managed by women, often exist within the informal and survivalist sectors, frequently intertwined with household responsibilities. While many women possess invaluable technical skills, such as weaving or baking, a significant barrier to growth has historically been a lack of formal business acumen necessary to understand their market environment and operate truly sustainable enterprises.

Shongwe eloquently articulated the broader impact of this investment: “Investing in women’s economic empowerment, particularly with women in the informal sector, sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth.” She further elaborated that bolstering the capacity of women micro-entrepreneurs directly correlates with higher incomes, greater access to and control over vital resources, and significantly enhanced security as they achieve greater financial independence. This empowerment not only transforms individual lives but also reshapes entire communities, fostering a more equitable and prosperous society for all.

A Year of Impact: De Beers Group’s Enduring Partnership with UN Women

This newly launched capacity-building programme forms an integral component of De Beers Group’s ambitious three-year partnership with UN Women. This strategic alliance, initially announced in September of the previous year, is backed by a substantial US$3 million investment specifically allocated to accelerate the advancement of women and girls in De Beers Group’s diamond-producing countries. The first year of this partnership has been marked by tangible progress and a clear commitment to fostering a more inclusive world, and the launch of this micro-entrepreneur programme further solidifies its impactful trajectory.

Nurturing Future Innovators: STEM Scholarships in Canada

Beyond the critical capacity-building programme for women micro-entrepreneurs in Southern Africa, De Beers Group is concurrently making significant investments in fostering the next generation of female leaders in Canada. The company is actively providing invaluable scholarships to young women and girls, enabling them to pursue higher education in the crucial fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). To date, eight prestigious university scholarships have already been awarded, opening doors to advanced learning and innovation. The group aims to expand this commitment further, with a target of an additional 19 multi-year scholarships to be granted by 2020, ensuring a sustained pipeline of female talent in STEM fields.

Demonstrating a holistic approach to nurturing young talent, De Beers Group also proudly sponsored an immersive summer science camp at the esteemed University of Waterloo. This inspiring initiative welcomed 13 and 14-year-old girls from indigenous communities located near the company’s Gahcho Kué mine, offering them a unique exposure to the wonders of scientific inquiry and technological innovation. The camp’s enriching itinerary included educational visits to the headquarters of Google, a global technology leader, and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, providing these young participants with a glimpse into cutting-edge research and career possibilities, igniting their passion for scientific exploration.

Leading by Example: De Beers’ Internal Commitments to Gender Parity

As a distinguished UN Women HeForShe Thematic Champion, De Beers Group has taken decisive steps to embody the principles of gender equality within its own organizational structure. The company has made a powerful, public commitment to achieving parity in the appointment of women and men into senior leadership roles across its global operations. This internal commitment is not merely a quota but a strategic imperative, recognizing that diverse leadership teams drive innovation, enhance decision-making, and create a more inclusive corporate culture. Furthermore, De Beers Group is dedicated to ensuring that its various consumer brands, through all their marketing campaigns, serve as a positive and influential force for advancing gender equality globally. This means moving beyond traditional portrayals and actively showcasing strong, empowered, and diverse representations of women.

Over the past 12 months, De Beers Group has demonstrated remarkable progress towards these ambitious internal goals. The company has successfully doubled its appointment rate of women into senior positions, a clear indicator of its proactive recruitment and promotion strategies. Impressively, 51 percent of all new senior hires during this period were women, signifying a tangible shift towards a more balanced leadership demographic. Complementing this, a comprehensive set of new inclusive marketing guidelines has been meticulously developed and implemented. This has led to highly successful campaigns spearheaded by De Beers Group’s prominent consumer brands, Forevermark and De Beers Jewellers, which authentically feature real and remarkable women, celebrating their diverse strengths, achievements, and beauty.

Bruce Cleaver reflected on this progress, stating, “We are proud of the progress we’ve made over the past year and have been extremely encouraged by the shared enthusiasm for our goals across De Beers Group and the wider diamond industry.” He acknowledged that while significant strides have been made, the journey towards true gender equality is ongoing, reaffirming the group’s steadfast determination: “We are still early on our journey and are determined to stand with women and girls in the pursuit of true gender equality.” This statement highlights both the achievements and the enduring commitment of De Beers Group to this vital cause.

A Global Call to Action: The HeForShe Impact Summit

Today, Bruce Cleaver joins an esteemed gathering of other CEOs and world leaders at the UN Women’s HeForShe Impact Summit, held concurrently with the crucial UN General Assembly. This high-profile summit serves as a critical platform for leaders to engage in profound discussions about the innovative approaches their respective businesses and countries are adopting to accelerate the achievement of gender equality on a global scale. These discussions are pivotal in sharing best practices, identifying new challenges, and fostering collaborative solutions.

A significant highlight of the summit will be the official release of the HeForShe Emerging Solutions for Gender Equality Report. This groundbreaking report is expected to compile and disseminate close to 100 innovative and actionable solutions, providing a valuable blueprint for achieving gender equality across various sectors and geographies. The report’s insights will undoubtedly inspire further action and provide practical tools for organizations and governments worldwide.

HeForShe stands as a powerful and transformative UN Women solidarity movement dedicated to accelerating gender equality. UN Women itself is the United Nations entity specifically tasked with championing gender equality and the empowerment of women. Its overarching and ambitious goal is to accelerate the achievement of ‘Planet 50-50 by 2030’ – UN Women’s visionary blueprint for a truly gender-equal world where every individual, regardless of gender, has equal opportunities and rights.

This multi-faceted partnership between De Beers Group and UN Women is a shining example of how corporate responsibility can align with global development goals, creating tangible and far-reaching impacts. By investing in education, entrepreneurship, and inclusive leadership, they are not only transforming individual lives but also contributing significantly to the broader movement for a more equitable and prosperous global society.

News Source: mining.com