Digital Skill Development of South Asian Women Entrepreneurs on Enhancing Business Opportunities
To support women entrepreneurs in harnessing digital opportunities, UNESCAP piloted the “E-Commerce Capacity Building for Women-led MSMEs in South Asia”. The initiative aimed to empower women-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in South and South-West Asia to explore new business opoortunities and integrate into local, regional and international supply chains through the use of e-commerce and digital marketing. As part of this effort, UNESCAP also developed e-learning courses and training manuals for the women entrepreneurs.
Building on that initiative, UNESCAP will organize a national training in Sri Lanka that will help selected women entrepreneurs on enhancing business through use of digital tools as well as product and market development. The training will also introduce the Strategy to Promote Inclusive and Sustainable Businesses to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka to the participants and also network amongst themselves and foster peer learning.
The national training will also utilize the WIFI DX (Women ICT Frontier Initiative – Digital Transformation) content developed by the Asian and Pacific Training Centre for ICT for Development (APCICT/ESCAP). WIFI DX focuses on equipping women entrepreneurs with practical digital skills to support their business transformation and growth. For this training in Sri Lanka, specific emphasis will be placed on e-commerce, digital marketing, and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) for women entrepreneurs. By integrating these WIFI DX modules, the training will provide participants with cutting-edge knowledge and tools to strengthen their online presence, expand their customer base, and harness emerging technologies for innovation and resilience.
This initiative is designed to address barriers and build the capacity of women entrepreneurs to thrive in the digital economy. By combining UNESCAP’s earlier e-commerce training resources with the updated WIFI DX modules on e-commerce, digital marketing, and AI applications, the programme seeks to empower women entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to scale their businesses, increase competitiveness, and contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Sri Lanka.
Concept Note and Programme
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for more information, please contact
Subregional Office for South and South-West Asia +91 11 6901 3700 [email protected]