The momentous G20 Presidency in 2025 occasioned the celebration of 10 years of engagement at the G20.
It also affirmed Women 20 (W20), “an official engagement group of the G20 dedicated to gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, annually developing consensus-based recommendations to ensure that gender is mainstreamed and included in the G20 leaders’ discussions and ultimately the Leaders’ Declaration”.
Women 20 South Africa was tasked with the responsibility to “consolidate data-based records of the W20 recommendations from the past 10 years, which document successes in promoting actionable policy recommendations, especially from the Global South as well as guidelines for areas for further development to support the US Presidency 2025”.
While fulfilling the commission’s mandate of fostering a growing, inclusive and deconcentrated economy, we need to be mindful of the vital role women play in shaping the country’s economy.
In August 2024, I highlighted research projects that the commission had undertaken, such as the Women in Business (WIB) or other initiatives we have supported to gain a deeper understanding of the barriers women entrepreneurs face.
In 2025, our work has extended to participation in the Property Sector Working Groups of the Consumer Protection Forum (CPF) and the Women Economic Assembly (Wecona).
The purpose of the CPF is to facilitate greater collaboration between all regulatory authorities to ensure that consumer protection and welfare remain paramount in the work that each entity is mandated by the legislature to complete.
Wecona advocates for women’s economic empowerment in core industries such as the property sector in SA.
Through WIB, the commission has participated in various Wecona initiatives aimed at advancing the entry and effective participation of women in the economy. Recently, the commission participated in a workshop organised by the Wecona Property Sector aimed at promoting gender equity, empowerment, and inclusivity within the property sector.
Under the theme Supplier Development and Market Access, the workshop explored how women-led businesses could effectively plug into procurement pipelines, navigate supplier readiness processes and access meaningful market opportunities across public and private supply chains.
Given the commission’s regulatory mandate, its work in public procurement and its role in ensuring market access and effective participation in the economy, we are supporting Wecona’s procurement and market access working group, which focuses on addressing procurement design challenges and the removal of structural entry barriers for women-led and small-to- medium enterprises.
We look forward to participating in this working group and believe our technical insights will be valuable to ensuring pro-competitive principles are embedded in the proposed solutions that will emanate from Wecona’s working groups.
This work foregrounds the annual celebration of Women’s Month, during which South Africans “celebrate women as active agents of change and social transformation. The commemoration also allows us to take stock of achievements and the challenges that remain while mobilising support for the further development of women”.
As we continue to commemorate Women’s Month, I look forward to sharing with readers, in my next columns, the impact of the commission’s work in creating a more inclusive economy for women entrepreneurs, the ability of women-led businesses to expand across sectors, and the incredible staff complement who ensure that our work makes a difference every day.
* Makunga is spokesperson for the Competition Commission of SA.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.