Zim-SA Strengthen Co-operation on Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA — Zimbabwe and South Africa have moved to deepen cooperation on women’s economic empowerment and gender equality following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the fourth session of the Zimbabwe–South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Pretoria on Friday.

The agreement, signed by Zimbabwe’s Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, and South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, seeks to strengthen collaboration between the two neighbouring countries in advancing the rights and economic participation of women.

The two ministers signed the agreement in the presence of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa, who co-chaired the fourth BNC session on Friday.

Chikunga is the South African minister responsible for leading the country’s socioeconomic transformation agenda for the empowerment and participation of women, youth and persons with disabilities.

The women’s empowerment agreement was among six MoUs signed by Zimbabwe and South Africa during the BNC, as the two countries seek to broaden bilateral cooperation beyond political relations into areas that directly affect livelihoods and economic development.

The latest agreement is expected to create greater opportunities for cooperation on women’s economic participation, entrepreneurship, skills development and gender equality while strengthening existing bilateral programmes.

The focus comes at a time when both countries are placing greater emphasis on women-owned enterprises and the participation of women in economic development.

South Africa, for instance, has been promoting market access for women-owned businesses, with Chikunga recently highlighting women entrepreneurs and business leaders during the launch of Women’s Month 2026 under the theme “Empowered Women, Empower Nations.”

For Zimbabwe, the agreement dovetails with ongoing Government efforts to expand women’s access to finance, entrepreneurship opportunities, skills and markets.

The Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development administers the Women Development Fund, which provides a financing mechanism for women’s groups seeking to establish or expand income-generating projects.

The Ministry has also been driving the implementation of policies aimed at strengthening women’s economic empowerment, including the Broad-Based Women’s Economic Empowerment Framework and the National Gender Policy.

According to UN Women, Zimbabwe revised its Broad-Based Women’s Economic Empowerment Framework to align it with the country’s development priorities, while Government has also been working to strengthen gender-responsive budgeting and expand opportunities for women-owned enterprises.

The Ministry’s mandate extends beyond financial empowerment to providing entrepreneurship and business-management training, developing value chains for products produced by women and Micro-Small-Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), facilitating access to technology and resources, and coordinating measures to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.

It also works with institutions such as the Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank and other stakeholders to improve women’s access to finance and economic opportunities.

Recent initiatives have included support for women-led businesses, community-based income-generating projects and efforts to improve women’s participation in formal economic activities. UN Women reported that Government’s economic empowerment agenda has increasingly focused on financial inclusion, skills development, market access and creating an enabling policy environment for women entrepreneurs.

The Hon Monica Mutsvangwa-led ministry is credited for partnering with various development partners in establishing safe markets accross the country which   are specially designed and secure to protect women in the informal economy from theft, harassment, and gender-based violence (GBV).

The Government has also made gender equality a more prominent component of national development planning. Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 for 2026–2030 was adopted with gender equality, social development and social protection incorporated as national priorities.

In April 2026, Zimbabwe further launched the Sustaining the Gains: Strengthening Accountability to Gender Equality and Women’s Rights in Zimbabwe programme, a US$4.5 million initiative supported by the European Union, Switzerland and the United Nations. The programme seeks to strengthen gender-responsive governance and financing for gender equality, women’s rights and the prevention and response to gender-based violence.

The bilateral MoU with South Africa therefore provides an opportunity for Zimbabwe to leverage regional cooperation to complement these domestic interventions, particularly through the sharing of expertise, strengthening women-led businesses and creating broader avenues for economic participation.

The agreement also comes against the backdrop of persistent barriers facing women in both countries, including limited access to finance, markets and decision-making spaces.

The latest cooperation agreement is consequently expected to provide another platform for Zimbabwe and South Africa to address such disparities while strengthening the role of women as entrepreneurs, employers, investors and contributors to national development.

For Zimbabwe, the partnership reinforces the Government’s position that women’s empowerment is not only a social objective but an important component of economic transformation, poverty reduction and inclusive development.

The two countries are expected to use the framework established by the MoU to identify practical areas of cooperation and strengthen existing initiatives aimed at ensuring women participate meaningfully in the economies of both countries.