Sithembiso Nyoni's Plenary Remarks

My role here today is not only that of an aggressive activist, but also that of Minister of a country that is enduring a wealth of economic problems. My goal is to pro-act, rather than to be immersed in the negative energies generated by such economic hardship.

I am happy to be here because there is an understanding amongst us that we are all concerned about the growing gap between rich and poor. We are here to celebrate our solidarity in ensuring that the gap is narrowed, if not eliminated. And I think that our representation of different sectors, of business, government, and different aspects of civil society demonstrates that many of us are aware that this gap cannot be narrowed by one sector alone. We all need to work together in order for each of us to have a place within this struggle.

I am sure we are all aware that politics and finance are ruling the world. Many people look to leaders of these sectors and expect them to help; and yet, these "angels" are not very in touch with the needs of the poor. And so I'm hoping that, over the course of this evening, we'll together find a more effective way of bridging this gap. For me the most practicable method is to go and reach out to the poor, and I'd like to share with you two examples of this.

Last Saturday, I was attending a funeral in a village in Africa, where the women traditionally sit while the men attend to the work. The time came for me to leave, and one woman stretched out and tugged at my long skirt. "Mrs. Nyoni, come here," she said. So I kneeled down again, and in a fervent whisper she said, "Please, Mrs. Nyoni, represent us up there. Commodities are so expensive, we can't afford bread." There were a lot of women at the funeral, and many of them gathered around me, and we put out heads together and whispered of the national and global policies that conspire to make their lives harder. For me, empowering women is about helping them understand the power that rules over them. I hope we recognize that what we really will be discussing tonight are ways of listening to these women and determining how they best can establish a livelihood under harsh economic conditions.

On Thursday last week, I ran a workshop, designed for fifty people, at which three ministries were invited to talk to the people about effective strategies for coping with harsh economic times. Three hundred people came to the meeting. I made sure that all 300 had the opportunity to speak. You can imagine 300 people introducing themselves, every one of which has a small project or business to help herself and her family. So many of our people are not asking for handouts anymore. They are asking for policies that will enable them to engage and solve their own problems. And yet technology, money, resources, even respect and recognition still pass them by.

Governments in Africa genuinely are overburdened. You can imagine the Minister of Finance having to choose between paying the debt and giving a loan to a woman. If it were you, which would you do? There is a lot of pro-action in Africa, a great deal of positive energy emerging from the grassroots. But the globalization train doesn't yet see, nor does it stop to accommodate people in need.

Sithembiso Nyoni is Minister of State for Economic Development in the Office of the President of Zimbabwe.