Empowering Women, Empowering Economies: The Spark Ignited at EmpowerHER 2025
By Karabo Ngoepe
A vibrant pulse of empowerment and possibility filled the room as female leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals converged for the EmpowerHER Women’s Conference 2025.
Hosted in partnership with The SPAR Group and the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), the event marked a fitting crescendo to Women’s Month, shining light on an undeniable truth: women’s health, community investment, and economic success are inextricably linked.
Zihle Nonganga, Investor Relations Executive at SPAR, set an electrifying tone in her keynote address. “True empowerment,” she said, “is an investment, not just in oneself, but in one another and our communities.
” Nonganga likened the SPAR journey of nurturing retail networks to the entrepreneurial spirit of women across Africa. “We don’t just build stores; we invest in people,” she declared, urging attendees to lean into their networks, rediscover core purpose, and channel inspiration into action.
The conference’s heart beat strongest during the panel titled, “Redesigning Resilience – Women’s Health as a Strategic Imperative.” Mpudi Maubane, SPAR’s National PR, Communications & Sponsorships Manager, challenged tired narratives of resilience as mere endurance.
“Resilience should not be measured by how much a woman can endure,” she asserted, calling instead to dismantle systemic barriers hampering women’s progress.
For Maubane, women’s health is not a peripheral issue but a core economic priority. Her point hit home as she framed SPAR’s initiatives, from combating Period Poverty to rooting out Gender-Based Violence, not as charity, but as a shrewd business strategy.
She highlighted with palpable pride a partnership with a 100% black women-owned cooperative making nutritious snacks. Through SPAR’s supplier development programme, these women received business training that turned them from employees into empowered entrepreneurs.
“We are building sustainable futures, not jobs,” said Maubane, her conviction resounding.
Nutritional wellness emerged as the foundation beneath women’s educational achievements, career ambitions, and mental resilience. Accessible, nutritious food combats absenteeism, enabling women’s advancement in the workplace.
For corporations, investing in women’s 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.
As Women’s Month concluded, EmpowerHER 2025 stood as a beacon—not just celebrating achievements but catalyzing real change. With stalwarts like SPAR and GIBS leading the charge, the narrative shifted.
Women’s economic empowerment is no longer a moral sidebar. It is the cornerstone for prosperous communities and robust economies.
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.