THE IRANIAN government has made some changes to its existing mining laws in order to attract investment. One of the changes is that exploration and exploitation permits are now being given to foreign companies. The country is now inviting small, medium and large South African companies to invest in Its exploration programme. SA Minister of Minerals and Energy Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said that opportunities were also available in the oil and petrochemicals industries and PetroSA and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) were in the process of finalising details of their co-operation. “The two organisations are also looking into black economic empowerment focusing on skills, technology, financial schemes, and the legislative framework for the development of small-to-medium sized industries. This represents huge opportunities for us as women,” she told a recent briefing of South African businesswomen. “It is a known fact that South Africa and Africa as a whole have in the past neglected women and their needs, especially in the education, training, work and business environment. The time has come for women to revolutionise the status quo, to stand up and be counted in the male-dominated economy. Somehow we will have to work twice as hard, to make up for the backlog and the stereotypes that we belong in the kitchen,” she said.
