Project EMBRACE: Empowering Black Women and Youth in the Green Economy
ContextThe South African Supplier Diversity Council (SASDC) has partnered with WE4D (Women Employment for the Green Transformation in Africa), a multi-donor platform promoting green employment for women across nine African countries. Funded by BMZ, the EU, and Norad, and implemented by GIZ, WE4D supports eco-friendly economic growth with gender equity. Despite the global shift to sustainability, Black women in South Africa remain underrepresented in green sectors. Barriers include: The EMBRACE Project aims to challenge these inequalities by empowering women, promoting inclusive green growth, and addressing structural gaps to ensure equitable participation in sectors like renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and eco-tourism. |
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ApproachThis programme tackles the barriers limiting Black women’s participation in the green economy by delivering sustainable, inclusive solutions. Empowering women is essential for a just green transition and aligns with South Africa’s policy priorities. In support of the SASDC’s mission, this initiative fosters job creation and entrepreneurship for Black women and youth—driving equity, innovation, and economic growth through collaboration with our corporate network and partners through the following project components: |
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CADET
TVET graduates placed in green enterprises, receive training and mentorship to launch businesses.
Cadet Workplace Integrated Learning & Intrapreneur / Entrepreneur Component (“CADET”) - A learnership placement initiative for current and past women students that have completed their theoretical studies at TVET colleges, who will be placed in green businesses while also receiving training and mentorship on how to start up, manage and grow their own businesses in the green economy.
WIG
A virtual incubator providing technical training, mentorship, and standards alignment for women-owned green firms.
Women in Green Construction, Waste Management and Renewable Energy Business Development Component (“WIG”) - A virtual business incubator / accelerator initiative focused on supporting the technical skills development and market access of mainly women-owned construction and renewable energy companies to compete in the green construction and energy solutions industries. Training and mentoring will be provided in the areas of green technology, product development, project management, domestic & international accreditation standards.
G-GEAP
Supports women in building globally competitive, sustainable businesses, linked to the Global Supplier Diversity Alliance (GSDA).
Greening the Global Export Accelerator Component (“G-GEAP”) - Support current and future women participants with improving the global competitiveness of their offerings and business models through gender-transformative and greening approaches. Ongoing global and domestic market access will be facilitated, particularly via the Global Supplier Diversity Alliance (GSDA).
WEFL
Online training for women in South Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda focused on green business skills.
GR-GT
Practical training to integrate gender equity and environmental sustainability into small and micro business practices.
Gender-Responsive Green Transformation Training for MSME’s (“GR-GT”) - This training programme is designed to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to integrate gender-responsive approaches into the process of sustainable and environmentally-conscious business transformation. The course will focus on empowering participants to recognize the importance of gender equity in the context of green business practices and provide them with practical tools to create inclusive and sustainable small businesses.
Key activities
- Entrepreneurship development and training on how to start-up, manage and grow their own businesses in the green economy. Focused mainly on women students that have completed their theoretical studies at TVET colleges.
- Green technology, product development, project management, domestic and international accreditation standards will focus on technical skills development for mainly women-owned businesses in construction and renewable energy to compete in the green construction and energy solutions industries.
- Leadership Executive Development focused on empowering women-owned businesses and improving the global competitiveness of their offerings and business models through gender-transformative and greening approaches.
- Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy aimed at equipping women graduate students, practitioners, and budding entrepreneurs from South Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda.
- Gender-Responsive Green Transformation Training to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and strategies to integrate gender-responsive approaches into the process of sustainable and environmentally-conscious business transformation.
Intended Impact
This project addresses all areas of focus (GEWY – Green-Employment-Women-Youth) while having a broad coverage for creating economic and employment opportunities in new and emerging market segments of the green economy. From an employment promotion perspective, the project focuses on dependent employment and self-employment opportunity creation through labour supply (skills development) , labour demand (enterprise development) and labour matching (transition from training to jobs). Project EMBRACE is entirely focused on women economic empower at a gender-sensitive, gender-responsive, and gender-transformative level, with interventions ranging from a direct focus on green sectors (eco-tourism, agribusiness, waste management and renewable energies), to a major focus on greening jobs (construction and transport/logistics). Project EMBRACE aims to deliver:
About the SASDC
The South African Supplier Diversity Council (SASDC) is a corporate-led initiative bringing together like-minded private sector companies and other stakeholders to promote supplier diversity as a business strategy to achieve competitiveness and long-term sustainability. The SASDC’s mission is to empower Black businesses by fostering a collaborative supplier diversity ecosystem, leveraging procurement and development interventions, and certifying and connecting stakeholders to drive growth and competitiveness.
Our purpose lies primarily in addressing the socio-economic challenges faced in the supply and value chain. We aim to create a diverse and inclusive supply/value chain that is in alignment with the National Development Plan. We do this to unlock competitiveness by creating access to procurement markets for marginalized Black businesses through the development of a collaborative ecosystem of partners from business and government.
Contact Us
South African Supplier Diversity Council (SASDC)
Gary Joseph – gary.joseph@sasdc.org.za
Glynnis Jackson – glynnis.jackson@sasdc.org.za
Tel: +27 (0)11 100 1025
Address: Ground Floor, Suite 10, Kopano on Empire, 30 Wellington Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa
Our Partners
