A firm believer in women empowerment, CEO of the Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training (Fasset), Ayanda Mafuleka wants to see women take charge of their professional lives.
More than two decades ago, a determined Mafuleka received a bursary to study for her B.Com degree and today she is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the institution that funded her studies.
She was recently appointed as the CEO of the Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Fasset), which is one of the 21 SETAs that were established in terms of the Skills Development Act to cover all sectors in South Africa, including government.
Last month, at the height of the Human Rights Celebrations, Mafuleka said she was inspired when she witnessed the graduation of the FASSET Women’s Executive Development Programme, facilitated through Wits Business School and International Women’s Forum of South Africa in partnership with Duke Corporate Education.
“The programme equips women in finance and accounting sector with the skills, knowledge, and insight to become ethical leaders in their field.
“As I watched the processions of remarkable young women make their way onto the stage, I felt a surge of hope for a brighter future. A future in which women lead the way, by lifting and uplifting others as they rise.
“At the same time, March is International Women’s Month, and as the spotlight shone on the role and place of women in the world, there was one statistic that cast a cloud on the prospect of a brighter tomorrow,“ she said.
“At the current pace of progress, according to a statement by Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, it will take another 300 years before full gender equality is achieved across the world. None of us, not even the generations yet to come, can afford to wait that long.
“We must accelerate the process of building a better, more equal world. We must make space for women at the highest levels of leadership, in government, in business, and in civil society at large,” she said.
Mafuleka said making the world a better, more equal place for women, will make the world a better, more equal place for everyone.