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This year, International Women’s Day is anchored on the global movement for women’s rights, equality and justice, in order for the world to recognise that the growth and development of any nation depends extensively on the empowerment of its women.

Numerous studies continue to show that countries that have expanded opportunities for women and girls in education and work in recent decades have  achieved greater prosperity and social development for their nations.

In South Africa, women constitute a large proportion of the economically challenged, especially  in the rural areas, and the National Development Plan (NDP) acknowledges this by taking gender – along with race and geographic location - into account through the proposal of a range of measures that address this  inequality.

The NDP proposes that the transformation of the economy should involve the active participation and empowerment of women, and that the role of women as leaders in all sectors of society should be actively supported.

Hosted under the campaign theme #PressforProgress - this year International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to set in motion the transformation of empowering women in all settings, rural and urban, as well as to celebrate the activists who are working relentlessly to claim women’s rights and realize their full potential.

Brand South Africa’s Chief Marketing Officer, Linda Magapatona-Sangaret said: “While pressing forward with strategic adjustments of economic structures and innovations of their sustainable growth models, South Africa remains cognisant that equal participation in economic activities and equitable access to economic resources are the basic conditions for the well-being and development of women.

Women are increasingly participating in the national development process, as they are essential for the achievement of sustainable development. We at Brand South Africa call on all sectors of our society to spearhead the development and empowerment of women.”

Revered for their strength in building the family unit and homes, as well as their contributions to the community, society and the nation --- this International Women’s Day Brand South Africa celebrates the acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who continue to play an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year. It commemorates the movement for women's rights.

Follow the conversation on #PressforProgress
 

Issued by Brand South Africa