Grace Ashiru
Women business owners in Côte d’Ivoire, located on the south-eastern coast of West Africa, can now apply to participate in DigiFemmes Entrepreneurs. This program provides them with the tools and resources to successfully run and expand their companies.
The DigiFemmes Entrepreneurs program is a segment of the DigiFemmes initiative, which assists already-established women-led small and medium businesses (W-SMEs) on their paths to expansion—establishing a solid pipeline of new enterprises and working with ecosystem stakeholders to develop an environment that is supportive of digital skills in Côte d’Ivoire.
DigiFemmes is said to incorporate an innovative and proven way of teaching skills with a built-in way to ensure the program has an impact that can be scaled up and will last.
The model takes a systems-thinking approach and helps existing W-SMEs get the data and digital skills they need to grow. Providing assistance to new women-owned small and medium-sized businesses in acquiring digital skills to help them launch and validate their firms or boost their employability.
Additionally, the program is supported by a supportive ecosystem that includes stakeholders such as governments, investors, and organizations that assist in entrepreneurial endeavors.
The mission of DigiFemmes is to foster a more encouraging atmosphere for the professional growth of female entrepreneurs. SAFEEM, Seedstars Côte d’Ivoire, Empow’Her Côte d’Ivoire, Dalberg, and Edu01 are the consortium partners that are putting this plan into action.
In collaboration with Microsoft, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) provide funding for the program. Kat Ntep, the deputy director for sector operations at MCC, stated that “we are happy to join with the SAFEEM consortium to undertake a plan that incorporates several MCC priorities.”
“A focus on allowing digital development to start from the ground up and empowering women economically and making sure they are part of the process. We have high hopes that this program will increase the number of strong, successful women that young women can look up to and aspire to be like. We would also like to express our gratitude to our program partners, USAID and Microsoft, for their significant contributions of resources and time to the DigiFemmes program.
Yacine Barro-Bourgault, the Skilling and Enablement Lead for the Microsoft Africa Transformation Office, offered some information. For the delivery of the DigiFemmes program, we are thrilled to collaborate with USAID, MCC, and the SAFEEM consortium.
This endeavor is in line with the objective of the Microsoft Africa Transformation Office, which is to invest in the digital transformation of Africa by enhancing the capabilities of thirty million Africans.
Through this strategic alliance, we seek to close the skills gap on the African continent by providing young girls with resources and tools they need to succeed. This will be accomplished in collaboration with our other partners.
Women in the DigiFemmes Entrepreneurs program will go through a nine-month training program that will teach them how to use data and technology in their businesses and digital skills for their enterprises, as well as access to programs that enhance entrepreneurial potential and help them reach the next level of maturity in their development.
Women from Côte d’Ivoire who are committed to completing the intense capacity building to its fullest extent are required to participate.
Most of the activities will be carried out in Abidjan and San Pedro. In addition, there will be training provided to 720 existing women-owned small and medium enterprises. Moreover, seminars aimed at boosting awareness will be made available to those who facilitate ecosystems in Bouaké, Gagnoa, Yamoussoukro and Daloa,
To apply, click here.
