Women entrepreneurs want digital skills: experts
Women entrepreneurs ought to be skilled in digitalisation to be able to avail the benefits of modern technology in order that they can give a boost to their businesses, according to Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, speaker of Bangladesh Parliament.
"We've seen many potentials on e-commerce businesses during the pandemic so technology can help women," she said.
E-commerce has demonstrated its importance from a good gender perspective since it is a strong program for empowerment, she said.
"Our women suffer from some problems possibly in normal instances such as low access to finance, training, market segments and mobility," Chaudhury added.
Other key challenges faced by women entrepreneurs are inadequate usage of credit facilities and a lack of accounting and managerial knowledge, she said.
If they would like to avail all of the prospects of the government's digitalisation activities, they need to be trained well, the Speaker said, adding that potential building must also be strengthened.
Chaudhury made these feedback while addressing due to chief guest the inaugural program of Asian Women Business owners' Summit 2021 organised simply by the Bangladesh-India Business Council of Women's Indian Chamber of Commerce and Market.
"Women entrepreneurs still have concerns of formalisation because their entities will be mostly informal, so if they go to banking institutions, the lenders require a trade licence that they cannot present," said Atiur Rahman, past governor of Bangladesh Bank.
"Banks should not ask for trade licences from girls entrepreneurs, rather ask if they have a bank-account or national identity cards," Rahman said.
"At least for the pandemic, they should have been waived from paying VAT and tax," he said, adding that the healing process of the pandemic ought to be through green initiatives.
For growing countries, poverty has increased due to the pandemic, according to Vikram Kumar Doraiswami, Indian huge commissioner to Bangladesh.
"I think we must ensure greater usage of financial resources and access to information and technology, enhance possibilities for training using digital platforms and training to use digital equipment to enter industry, ensuring women basic safety and intervention against gender based violence," he said.
Finance institutions should finance women considering their business ideas since personal inclusion has a direct impact on empowering women," he stated.
Participation in the supply chain, enhancing skills and capacity setting up are necessary for girls to bounce back achieving financial image resolution, he added.
Mai al-Kaila, health minister of the status of Palestine, Selim RF Hussain, managing director of Brac Lender, and Mantasha Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh-India Organization Council of Women's Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also spoke at the event.
