Thematic Workshop
EMPOWERING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS THROUGH ICTs
ILO and UNCTAD
Thursday 16 May 2013
16h00-18h00
Room H
Objective
session
of
The session explored and discussed the role which ICTs have in empowering
women entrepreneurs and providing new opportunities to strengthen their
businesses. Using mobile phones, electronic platforms, radio, TV, blogs and
the Internet, women entrepreneurs are reaching out to customers and
building their businesses in ways they could not do before. While persisting
challenges exist especially in rural areas, effective use of ICTs is helping
women entrepreneurs to overcome several barriers.
This event showcased and commemorated the launch of a new initiative and
partnership by ILO and UNCTAD, financially supported by the Government
of Sweden, to integrate the ICT dimension into ILO's Framework and Guide
for assessing the environment for women entrepreneurship development
(WED). It is the first such framework that takes the ICT dimension
systematically into account. The Framework and Guide will be used to assist
policymakers and development partners in improving the WED
environment in developing countries.
Women entrepreneurs from three African countries shared their success
stories on how ICTs have made a difference, but also highlighted challenges
faced for women entrepreneurs seeking to use ICTs. A multi-stakeholder
dialogue discussed how the evolving ICT landscape can be tapped by
governments, the private sector, international organizations, civil society,
business development service providers and other stakeholders to support
WED.
Quotes
“Women don't have as much access to the technology, so we have to make a
special effort to increase women's access to ICTs” - Jens Karberg, Programme
Manager, Sida, Sweden
“Entrepreneurship and ICTs - they go together because we have to go into
this world where it makes our lives easier … Women can use the access to
ICTs to market their products, to get more customers and add on their
account. Instead of walking from town to town … you can use the telephone
to call this person you're going to. It saves time, it saves money, it saves
energy. Women have a lot of things, family responsibilities ... With ICT's,
time for a woman becomes manageable.” - Blandina Sembu, TV/Presenter,
Jarida La Wanwake/ITV, Tanzania
“Information is power to a woman entrepreneur, and one of the best tools for
a woman entrepreneur is providing Internet services, secretarial services and
telecenters ... We need special consideration for women’s groups, to have
specific telecenters which address the needs of women. ... And while women
are aware of the challenges they face among themselves, we need men who
are policymakers to hear the voices of women.” - Achamyelesh Ashenafi,
President, Addis Ababa Women Entrepreneurs Association, Ethiopia and
Managing Director, Konimix Trading
“We wanted to see who has access to a mobile phone and the key barriers for
women, and what we found was that we had 300 million who had coverage,
but were not able to own or use a phone.” – Henriette Kolb, CEO, Cherie
Blair Foundation for Women
"We need to discuss as women and as families as well - how do we cut down
the workload of a woman so that she can also sit and learn ICTs? ...
Otherwise we'll be left behind ... ICTs are really for women." - Dina, a
woman entrepreneur on the video shown at the session
Main
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Outcomes of
the Session
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ICTs can play a crucial role in empowering women entrepreneurs,
especially when coupled with policies addressing constraints that they
face at the macro and systemic level.
ICTs are especially well adapted for women entrepreneurs who are often
juggling family with entrepreneurial responsibilities and can benefit
strongly from the time efficiencies and location flexibilities which ICTs
make possible.
Empowering women entrepreneurs through ICTs requires a multistakeholder effort. There is a need for collaboration between
governments, UN agencies, the private sector, business intermediaries
and civil society to support the use of different ICTs among women
entrepreneurs. It is also important that the perspective of women
entrepreneurs at the grass-root level can be effectively brought to the
attention of policy makers, which are often men.
The diversity of women entrepreneurs was emphasized. The value of
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Emerging
Trends
relevant
in
the context of
the WSIS +10
process
different ICTs to a woman entrepreneur varies depending on the nature
and size of business, the geographical location, industry and the
capabilities needed to make use of the technology.
Women’s entrepreneurship associations can play an important role in
helping to bring ICTs to women entrepreneurs, especially in developing
countries. Strengthening the ICT capacity of such associations in
developing countries may be an effective strategy.
ICT capacity-building and training is essential for women entrepreneurs
in Africa to benefit from the opportunities which ICTs offer. Literacy
constraints where many women cannot read or write constrain their use
of certain ICTs. Basic training which show women entrepreneurs how to
use mobile phones, computers, social media and other ICTs are strongly
needed.
The lack of ICT and electricity infrastructure in rural areas often makes
access impossible in rural areas. There is a need to accelerate the effective
implementation of relevant infrastructure for women entrepreneurs in
rural areas to benefit.
The empowerment of women entrepreneurs through ICTs must involve
partnerships with men and integrate measures that address sociocultural constraints making it inacceptable for women to use or own
different ICTs.
ICTs are opening up the potential for a number of business ventures for
rural women entrepreneurs. It is essential that women entrepreneurs
gain greater awareness of these opportunities.
1) Public-private partnerships are making possible innovative approaches to
training women entrepreneurs in ICTs, though the sponsoring of e-learning
initiatives or peer-peer informal learning strategies for women
entrepreneurs.
2) The establishment of a simple technology and information center in
women entrepreneurs associations in developing countries is one way to
facilitate the uptake and learning of ICTs among women entrepreneurs,
especially in places where connectivity is limited.
3) While weak ICT and electricity infrastructure in many developing
countries hinders rural women entrepreneurs from adopting ICTs,
innovative solutions are emerging. Rural women entrepreneurs increasingly
are providing service stations to recharge mobile phones. The distribution of
solar-powered computers, rather than electricity-based computers, may be
an effective strategy to overcome infrastructure constraints.
4) Thanks to improved broadband connectivity and Internet access, new
opportunities are emerging for women entrepreneurs in the area of
freelancing.
5) The joint ILO-UNCTAD initiative was a good illustration of the
importance of leveraging ICTs as an enabler for development, in this case
related to women entrepreneurship development.