{"id":11065,"date":"2025-12-19T12:11:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T12:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gracamacheltrust.org\/?p=8739"},"modified":"2026-02-05T01:52:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T23:52:32","slug":"we-are-not-here-to-help-women-make-ends-meet-we-are-here-to-help-women-break-ceilings-build-wealth-and-lead-value-chains-shiphra-chisha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.gbstudio.co.za\/gmt\/featured\/we-are-not-here-to-help-women-make-ends-meet-we-are-here-to-help-women-break-ceilings-build-wealth-and-lead-value-chains-shiphra-chisha\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWe are not here to help women make ends meet, we are here to help women break ceilings, build wealth, and lead value chains.\u201d – Shiphra Chisha"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gra\u00e7a Machel Trusts\u2019 AWAB South Africa launches with women agripreneurs at the centre<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYou don\u2019t stand here as one, but you have your sisters in different parts of the continent who say, we are ready. We are ready to participate,\u201d said Shiphra Chisha, Director of Programmes at the Gra\u00e7a Machel Trust, as the African Women in Agribusiness Network officially launched its South Africa Chapter.<\/p>\n

Held on 15 December 2025 in Johannesburg, the launch brought women entrepreneurs from across the country together to showcase their products and connect with partners shaping the sector. The room included Oxfam South Africa and the European Union, provincial government stakeholders from the Northwest and the Eastern Cape, and market and finance institutions working to expand access and opportunity for women-led enterprises.<\/p>\n

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From the first walk-through of the exhibition tables, the message was clear. These were not small conversations about \u201cpotential\u201d. This was a room full of women already doing the work. Women who are growing, processing, packaging, trading, and building businesses that feed families and strengthen local economies.<\/p>\n

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Women entrepreneurs showcased a vibrant range of products across farming, agro-processing, and trade, speaking with pride about their craft and customers. They also shared the real barriers to growth, including cash flow, transport costs, certification, and access to finance. Most powerful was their confidence and collaboration as they exchanged solutions, contacts, and market insights, turning the showcase into a moment of community-building.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is a game-changing network that will transform the place of the women in the agricultural sector of South Africa,\u201d Chisha said, congratulating women leaders and members for \u201crising to the occasion\u201d to build a platform that matches the scale of women\u2019s contribution.<\/p>\n

For Thuto Maepa, Chairperson of the African Women in Agribusiness Network South Africa, the day marked more than a launch. \u201cToday we gather not simply to launch a network, but to witness the birth of a revolution,\u201d she said. \u201cFor generations, women planted in silence. They harvested in silence\u2026 But today, that silence ends with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Maepa described the network\u2019s ambition in plain terms: women must not remain at the bottom of the value chain while others hold wealth, markets, and decision-making power. \u201cWe are not here to help women make ends meet,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are here to help women break ceilings, build wealth, and lead value chains.\u201d She outlined a bold vision for an agricultural ecosystem in which women agripreneurs can access finance, markets, and skills, and influence the policies and systems that shape South Africa\u2019s agricultural sector.<\/p>\n

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Women are central to Africa\u2019s food systems. Yet many women-led agribusinesses still face barriers to access for land, finance, technology, and access to high-value markets. The African Women in Agribusiness Network South Africa is being created to change this by connecting women across the value chain, strengthening their leadership and voice, and opening doors to markets and partnerships. After the launch, the priority is to grow the network across provinces and to drive practical support that helps women-owned businesses and cooperatives trade and thrive, guided by what entrepreneurs know and need. When women come together, they share solutions, build confidence, and create new opportunities for one another.<\/p>\n

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