South Africa's Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has called for concrete action to advance gender equality during an exclusive interview with CGTN following the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women in Beijing. Emphasizing that empowerment requires more than constitutional guarantees, she outlined South Africa's landmark policy reserving 40% of government contracts for women-owned businesses under its new Public Procurement Act.
"Equal access to education, technology, and economic participation forms the bedrock of sustainable development," Chikunga stated, highlighting South Africa's alignment with the Beijing Declaration's 30th-anniversary goals. She praised China's "consistent leadership" in gender equality innovation and expressed eagerness to deepen collaboration under the China–South Africa Strategic Cooperation Framework (2020–2029), particularly in digital transformation and vocational training programs targeting women entrepreneurs.
The minister's remarks underscore growing South-South cooperation in addressing systemic barriers to women's economic participation, offering insights for policymakers and investors tracking inclusive growth trends in emerging markets.
