UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will host its first in-person Masterclass for women digital entrepreneurs from South Asia under the theme: ‘Growth and Impact: Unlocking Opportunities for Women-Led Digital Businesses in South Asia’, 2-5 December 2024, Delhi, India.
Addressing the gender digital divide
The rapid spread of digital technologies is creating many business opportunities for entrepreneurs across South Asia. Yet, significant disparities remain across and within countries regarding digitalization.
Against this backdrop, UNCTAD invites 25 women digital entrepreneurs from selected South Asia countries to take part in the empowerment event. The Masterclass will offer participants an opportunity to boost their skills to succeed in the digital economy and increase their impact.
The Masterclass is organized in partnership with Ms. Ajaita Shah, Founder and CEO of Frontier Markets (India), and eTrade for Women Advocate for South Asia, as well as the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
What will the masterclass focus on?
The Masterclass will combine a set of learning, inspirational and networking sessions, which will cover critical aspects of how to develop and grow a digital business.
As part of the Masterclass UN Trade and Development will also host a Policy Dialogue where digital entrepreneurs and government representatives from the region will discuss how public policies can help build a more inclusive digital economy in the region.
How to join?
The Masterclass is open to women entrepreneurs from the following countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
To be considered, candidates must:
- Be a woman founder/co-founder of a digital business such as an e-commerce marketplace, a digital logistics platform, or offer digital services such as edtech, fintech, agritech, healthtech, etc.
- The business must have a minimum of 3 years of operations.
- Candidates must demonstrate a positive impact on their community through economic and social empowerment, digitalization, advocacy, or related actions.
- Candidates who meet the above selection criteria are invited to submit their application no later than 30 August 2024 by filling in the following form: https://forms.office.com/e/13TaeEmdjN
UNCTAD and its partners will review the applications received and inform selected participants by 25 September 2024
Further information about the Masterclass, is available on this webpage: https://etradeforall.org/masterclass/2024-south-asia/
The eTrade for Women initiative
The eTrade for Women initiative was launched by the United Nations in 2019 in partnership with eTrade for all. It aims to empower women by combining the transformative power of female entrepreneurship with the positive impact of digital technologies.
