Abstract: Submission #2

Abstract The UN 2030 Agenda is a global agenda which brings nations together to address global challenges for sustainable development. It is increasingly expected for social workers to engage in novel intervention programmes in South Africa to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The National Development Plan Vision 2030 is the foundational policy steering sustainable development priorities, notably by proposing its own development agenda and visions aligned to goal 1, 5 and 8 of the SDGs. This scholarly investigation addresses a broad spectrum of the UN’s SDGs including no poverty, gender equality, access to decent and economic growth and prioritizes women's empowerment in South Africa. The study aims to extract pivotal developmental social welfare strategies and lessons to inform and enhance social work practice and policy in Gauteng province. The study is anchored in the objective of dissecting the multifaceted concept of social entrepreneurship in relation to women's empowerment, with a particular focus on the unique socio-economic and cultural dynamics present in South African society. It seeks to understand how these insights can be effectively transposed to improve labor and social protection policy landscape, thereby enriching intervention strategies to enhance gender equality, economic inclusion and poverty alleviation. Employing critical feminist methodology, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 women who shed light on the intricacies of social entrepreneurship aligned to the pillars of developmental social welfare practice. The study' is underscored by African feminism and the ethical clearance number for the data is REC 01-030-2022.. The findings reveal that human capital development, economic participation, and political inclusion are critical strategies for women's empowerment, proven effective in Gauteng, South Africa. Conclusively, the study advocates for a holistic, community-based economic approach to women's empowerment, drawing inspiration from the conceptual debates on globalization from below, solidarity economy and social entrepreneurship approach to mitigate -poverty, enhance gender justice and access to decent work.