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<\/p>\nBy Karabo Ngoepe<\/p>\n
A vibrant pulse of empowerment and possibility filled the room as female leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals converged for the EmpowerHER Women\u2019s Conference 2025.<\/p>\n
Hosted in partnership with The SPAR Group and the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), the event marked a fitting crescendo to Women\u2019s Month, shining light on an undeniable truth: women\u2019s health, community investment, and economic success are inextricably linked.<\/p>\n
Zihle Nonganga, Investor Relations Executive at SPAR, set an electrifying tone in her keynote address. \u201cTrue empowerment,\u201d she said, \u201cis an investment, not just in oneself, but in one another and our communities.<\/p>\n
\u201d Nonganga likened the SPAR journey of nurturing retail networks to the entrepreneurial spirit of women across Africa. \u201cWe don\u2019t just build stores; we invest in people,\u201d she declared, urging attendees to lean into their networks, rediscover core purpose, and channel inspiration into action.<\/p>\n
The conference\u2019s heart beat strongest during the panel titled, \u201cRedesigning Resilience \u2013 Women\u2019s Health as a Strategic Imperative.\u201d Mpudi Maubane, SPAR\u2019s National PR, Communications & Sponsorships Manager, challenged tired narratives of resilience as mere endurance.<\/p>\n
\u201cResilience should not be measured by how much a woman can endure,\u201d she asserted, calling instead to dismantle systemic barriers hampering women\u2019s progress.<\/p>\n
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For Maubane, women\u2019s health is not a peripheral issue but a core economic priority. Her point hit home as she framed SPAR\u2019s initiatives, from combating Period Poverty to rooting out Gender-Based Violence, not as charity, but as a shrewd business strategy.<\/p>\n
She highlighted with palpable pride a partnership with a 100% black women-owned cooperative making nutritious snacks. Through SPAR\u2019s supplier development programme, these women received business training that turned them from employees into empowered entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are building sustainable futures, not jobs,\u201d said Maubane, her conviction resounding.<\/p>\n
Nutritional wellness emerged as the foundation beneath women\u2019s educational achievements, career ambitions, and mental resilience. Accessible, nutritious food combats absenteeism, enabling women\u2019s advancement in the workplace.<\/p>\n
For corporations, investing in women\u2019s health translates directly into talent retention and consumer loyalty, a message that Maubane advises pitching not as an obligation but as the smartest business decision.<\/p>\n
As Women\u2019s Month concluded, EmpowerHER 2025 stood as a beacon\u2014not just celebrating achievements but catalyzing real change. With stalwarts like SPAR and GIBS leading the charge, the narrative shifted.<\/p>\n
Women\u2019s economic empowerment is no longer a moral sidebar. It is the cornerstone for prosperous communities and robust economies.<\/p>\n
From the conversations ignited, a clear call emerged: empower women not only to survive but to thrive. This is more than a rallying cry, it is a strategy to build a future where economic growth and social justice walk hand in hand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Karabo Ngoepe A vibrant pulse of empowerment and possibility filled the room as female leaders, entrepreneurs, and…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,24,25,26],"tags":[46,73,48,49,58],"class_list":["post-2331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-africa","category-future","category-national","category-swaziland","tag-africa","tag-eswatini","tag-feature","tag-human-interest","tag-national","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"yoast_head":"\n