Recommendations of the Workshop

The workshop reaffirmed that entrepreneurship and e-business skills are powerful tools for women’s socio and economic empowerment. The workshop presented an opportunity for policy makers and women entrepreneurs to develop necessary capacities to develop entrepreneurship and apply ICT for creating business opportunities for women. To promote women’s entrepreneurship and adoption of e-business, the workshop adopted the following recommendations:

1. Programmes for the development of women entrepreneurship should recognize the traditional gendered role of women that contributes to the double burden of responsibilities. Governments are encouraged to ensure that capacity building in entrepreneurship and e-business is complemented by access to social programmes to relieve the burden.

2. Women entrepreneurs usually do not have access to the financial resources to initiate their business or to adopt e-business. Governments should be encouraged to ensure that business development programmes combine access to financial services to women-led micro and small and medium enterprises.

3. The process of empowerment of women through business development, including e-business, has significantly increased their self-confidence as well as their economic prospects. Governments and other stakeholders, including international organizations, donor agencies and the private sector should recognize women entrepreneurship development programmes as innovative approaches for poverty alleviation.

4. Everyone should have necessary skills to fully participate in and benefit from the Information Society. To provide benefits of ICT to rural communities, Governments and other stakeholders, including international organizations, donor agencies and the private sector, are encouraged to facilitate the establishment of community access points in rural areas, promote ICT applications, including e-business that provide new economic opportunities, and to build capacities in the use of ICT.

5. Information and knowledge are fundamental element for development in a knowledge-based society. To share/exchange information, knowledge, experience, lessons learned, and good practices in the development of entrepreneurship and e-business, international organizations, donor agencies and the private sector are encouraged to organize forums and workshops and to establish networks.