DEPUTY MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY FOR WOMEN, YOUTH AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
CALL TO ACTION BY
MMAPASEKA STEVE LETSIKE, MP AT THE
G20 EMPOWERMENT OF WORKING WOMEN AND DISABILITY INCLUSION BREAKFAST ROUNDTABLE ON
1 MAY 2025 | MORNINGSIDE | 08:00
Thank you programme Director;
Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Ms Sindisiwe Chikunga, MP;
Director-General in the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Adv Mikateko Maluleke, and all departmental staff; Resident Representative, UN Women SAMCO, Ms Alletta Miller; Distinguished Delegates,
Esteemed Partners and Colleagues, Dumelang!
It gives me a great pleasure to engage you all in this important G20 Breakfast Roundtable on Advancing inclusive growth through South Africa’s G20 Presidency.
This session, under the banner of “Advancing inclusive growth through South Africa’s 2025 G20 Presidency,” is not only timely, but critical to our shared mission of fostering inclusive and sustainable economic development in South Africa, within G20 countries and globally.
As you know, South Africa assumed the Presidency of the G20 on 1 December 2024, a significant milestone that positions us to shape a global agenda that is truly transformative. As the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD), we are honoured to chair the Empowerment of Women Working Group (EWWG) and to propose the establishment of a Disability Inclusion Initiative (DII).
Our Presidency is an opportunity not only to influence international dialogue, but to lead by example in implementing real, impactful and measurable change for those who have historically been excluded.
Public-private collaboration is pivotal in driving economic growth and social development. However, for this impact to be truly transformative, it must be accessible and equitable for everyone – including persons living with disabilities. Disability inclusion is about more than compliance or meeting quotas, it is about embracing diversity, unlocking talent, and creating services that cater to the full spectrum of society.
Persons living with disabilities represent a significant portion of the population estimated around 7%, yet they remain one of the most underserved and underrepresented groups in the financial industry. By promoting inclusive hiring practices, accessible banking services, and awareness within our organisations, we not only empower individuals but also enhance innovation, customer satisfaction, and overall business performance.
Moreover, financial inclusion is a powerful enabler of empowerment. It is the foundation upon which independence, resilience and prosperity are built. Yet, we know that millions of persons with disabilities in South Africa remain outside the reach of mainstream financial systems.
They lack access to basic banking services. They are unable to secure affordable credit.
They are underrepresented as business owners and investors. Those persons with disabilities whose identity intersects with vulnerable sectors in society such as women, youth, LGBTI persons, the elderly and those in the rural and peri-urban areas face compounded challenges from inaccessible infrastructure to technology gaps and limited tailored financial products.
This is not just a development issue. It is a matter of equity, justice, and human rights.
Recently on the margins of the 2nd Ministerial Technical Meeting on Women Empowerment Working Group in Sun City the Department hosted the G20 Global Conference on Financial Inclusion and Women Empowerment.
The G20 Global Conference on Financial Inclusion and Women Empowerment served as a defining moment in South Africa’s G20 Presidency, signalling a shift from policy dialogue to deliberate, outcome- oriented action. It brought together a powerful coalition of leaders, scholars, entrepreneurs, and practitioners to collectively confront the persistent barriers to women’s financial and economic inclusion.
Across plenaries, roundtables, and academic sessions, a common message emerged: inclusion must be intentional. The structural inequalities that exclude women from finance, leadership, and opportunity cannot be resolved through minor adjustments or symbolic representation. They require systemic reform, institutional accountability, and policy innovation grounded in lived realities and rigorous evidence.
The conference also reaffirmed the centrality of women’s entrepreneurship, not only as a development goal, but as a strategic economic imperative.
From rural agri-preneurs to urban tech founders, women entrepreneurs continue to innovate, sustain communities, and create jobs, often despite facing entrenched structural disadvantage.
South Africa’s leadership in hosting this conference demonstrated its commitment to mainstream gender justice within national and international economic policy.
As I articulated in the closing remarks of the G20 Global Financial Conference in Sun City, the true measure of the conference’s success will not lie in the volume of discussion, but in the concreteness of follow- through.
In the same vein, this platform must advance an action orientated agenda toward the inclusion of all persons with disabilities in their diversity to participate fully and meaningfully in all areas of human endeavour.
Our clarion call is simple – let us work together to:
1. Mainstream Disability-Responsive Financial Policy
Integrate disability-responsive budgeting, procurement, and investment mechanisms across all tiers of government and within financial regulatory frameworks. Financial products and services should be co-designed with the specific needs of women, youth, LGBTI persons and persons with disability entrepreneurs in mind.
2. Recognise and Leverage Informal Finance
Formal institutions should acknowledge and integrate informal financial mechanisms such as savings groups, rotating credit associations, and stokvels. These models offer critical access for underserved persons with disability and can be linked to formal systems through supportive regulation and technology.
3. Expand Financial Literacy and Digital Inclusion
Invest in sustained, community-based financial and digital literacy programmes, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas. Build inclusive digital ecosystems that prioritise safety, affordability, and relevance, while also tackling the digital divide through targeted infrastructure and skills development.
4. Reform Legal and Regulatory Barriers
Advance legal reforms that expand access to land, movable collateral, and joint asset ownership. Review and revise outdated legislation that inadvertently discriminates against the full participation in economic life by introducing de-risking measures to achieve financial inclusion for all.
5. Strengthen Institutional Collaboration
Promote greater alignment between government departments, financial institutions, academic bodies, and civil society. Establish intersectoral task teams or platforms to co-create policies, monitor progress, and share best practices and lessons learned.
6. Implement Data-Driven Accountability Mechanisms
Mandate the collection and use of disaggregated data in all financial inclusion initiatives. Develop public dashboards and performance indicators to track implementation and outcomes across sectors.
7. Support the Well-being in Entrepreneurship
Recognise and respond to the psychosocial dimensions of entrepreneurship. Integrate well-being coaching, mentorship, and mental health support into funding and business development programmes to ensure sustainability.
8. Enable Leadership and Representation
Facilitate pathways for women, youth, LGBTI persons, and persons with disability to occupy leadership roles in finance, policy, and investment sectors. This includes establishing mentorship pipelines, implementing board quotas, and providing leadership training tailored to address structural barriers and biases.
Programme Director, this is not just a roundtable. It is a platform for purpose. A space to co-create a financial future where no woman, no young person and no person with a disability is left behind. Let us seize this opportunity under South Africa’s G20 leadership to turn ideas into action and to drive financial systems that are inclusive, equitable and transformative.
Ke a leboga!