WOMEN are being called on to inject growth and prosperity into the South East.

SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency, is aiming to boost the total of women-owned businesses in the region by 10,000 over the next five years.

Speaking at the launch of a consultation on the South East Strategic Framework for Women’s Enterprise, SEEDA chief executive Pam Alexander said: "Women have the greatest untapped potential of any group.

"In the region, only 27 per cent of the self-employed and 15 per cent of business owners are women compared with 46 per cent of those of working age."

Outlining that regions with high business start-up rates achieve higher productivity Ms Alexander continued: "Encouraging more women to create businesses is a key strategic priority for SEEDA.

"Much of the wealth and dynamism of the South East is based on the growth of new businesses – and 28 per cent of these are started by women.

"Yet this is significantly below America. If the South East had the same proportion of female-owned businesses as the United States, we would have an additional 50,000 businesses in the region."

SEEDA’s head of enterprise, Greg Ward, said: "Setting up your own business can be a daunting prospect. Barriers facing women include low self confidence, greater difficulty in accessing finance, a lack of successful female role models, childcare issues and poor quality business support targeted at women’s particular needs.

"We need partnerships to eradicate these barriers and unleash the vibrant potential of female entrepreneurs. Any woman can be an entrepreneur.

"Women-owned businesses across the UK generate between £50 and £70 billion for the economy, so doubling the number in the South East would have an enormous impact in boosting the competitive advantage of the region."

SEEDA is the first Regional Development Agency to consult on its strategy for harnessing the talents and skills of existing and future female entrepreneurs.

Ms Alexander said: "We expect a very enthusiastic response from organisations across the widest spectrum of the public, private and voluntary sectors.

"This is their opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping and influencing the South East Strategic Framework for Women’s Enterprise."