For more than ten years after leaving school, Noluthando Luzipo of Motherwell, near Port Elizabeth, struggled to find employment. Then, two years ago, she took her future into her own hands and opened her own construction company. Today, instead of looking for work, 30-year-old Luzipo provides employment for 16 people. Her company, African Unity Builders (AUB), is one of six construction companies headed by women to have been awarded contracts of between R1-million and R3-million each to build housing units for the Construction Village. Seventeen small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in total were awarded contracts to build the village. The Construction Village will accommodate core staff of contracting companies from out of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality (NMMM). Luzipo believes that her company, which was registered with the National Housing Building Regulation Council in March, won the R1, 3-million contract because of its impressive track record. Before winning the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) contract, AUB had just completed its first project in Motherwell. The CDC technical and planning executive manager, Eugene Heeger says that, wherever possible, the CDC is breaking up projects to allow the entry of smaller companies. Luzipo's company, for example, is building seven single storey houses and one duplex in the construction village, which will consist of 500 units, as well as a business centre, community hall and other facilities. "The main purpose of the Coega Project is to benefit the people of the region and the country as a whole. There is therefore a substantial social objective in all the activities. Employment creation and skills development are two important elements of the social objective," he says. The CDC procurement policy commits the organisation to promoting "the empowerment of historically disadvantaged individuals (HDI's) in both the ownership of firms participating in the construction and operation of the IDZ. "At all levels, whether consultant, subcontractor, main-contractor or supplier, the CDC will favour teams which maximise opportunities for HDI's. The CDC will pay particular attention to ensuring that the empowerment aspects of a proposal or tender are authentic," says Heeger. There are specific targets for the empowerment and promotion of companies owned and controlled by women. For Luzipo, the CDC provided her with all the help she needed to grow her company from six to 16 employees. "We women can compete in the field of construction. We have the ability to do whatever we put our minds to," she says. Her advice to other emerging entrepreneurs is to prepare the way carefully. Before starting AUB, Luzipo attended a number of courses designed to develop her management and business skills. As a result, she is able to efficiently manage her team - almost all of whom are men - and grow her business. "We'll finish this project at the end of March next year. By that time we will be well positioned to win more contracts," she says. The CDC has put practical measures in place to help emerging contractors, which include bridging finance through the East Cape Development Corporation (ECDC), supplier interface, SMME development and mentoring, as well as pre-tender training. Contracts with a total value of R305-million have been awarded this year, of which R91-million has gone to SMMEs with at least 51 per cent black ownership, and R25-million into women-owned businesses.