Women’s Entrepreneurship Development (WED) in South Africa: The Abafazi Incubator Project
The WED programme focuses on establishing an enabling environment for women’s entrepreneurship initiatives through increasing their access to service providers while improving income-generation, productivity and competitiveness. This is achieved through building the capacity of governments, employers’ organizations, trade unions, and civil society organizations to support women entrepreneurs at growth stages.
The Abafazi Incubator Project, launched in 2011, helps to ensure women continue to access ILO tools and approaches. Over a 9 to 12 month support period it trains women to utilize a variety of these tools, including “Expand your Business”, “Action my Business Growth”, “Women Entrepreneurs’ Association Capacity Building” and “Improve your Advocacy Skills”. The development of viable growth plans through coaching and mentorship is also supported.