The ExxonMobil Foundation today announced a $1.5 million grant for research into how mobile phone technology can enhance women’s economic opportunities and entrepreneurship in the developing world. The grant to the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women will be highlighted at the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting.

The study, to be conducted in Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Indonesia, aims to identify various mobile services that can help women entrepreneurs enhance their businesses, and what barriers exist to expanding access to these services.

“We know that mobile technology has great potential for placing women in low-income countries on a higher economic trajectory”, said Cherie Blair, founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women.

“Mobile phone use doesn't just help women earn more money, it can also bring great benefits to businesses and therefore to the wider economy as well”.

Mobile phone services are often cited as a significant tool in economic development. There are 300 million fewer female than male subscribers worldwide, and a woman is 21 percent less likely to own a phone than a man in low- and middle-income countries.

“Studies like this will help us understand how technology can best support women in the developing world", said Suzanne M. McCarron, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation. “Success of women entrepreneurs is vital to building strong communities. Expanding the use of mobile technology for women will help raise living standards, leading to more prosperity for them, their families and their countries”.

"Our research shows that technology can be transformative for women, if we engage them in the process", said Sarah Degnan Kambou, president of the International Center for Research on Women. "This partnership does that and will help take women entrepreneurs farther and faster, as a result".

(Source: Financial Post)