Empowering Liberian business women
description
Transcript of Empowering Liberian business women
EmpoweringLiberian businesswomenTrade at Hand: An example of using microtechnology for microenterprise growth
Meg Jones, Women and Trade Programme Manager, ITCGlobal Summit of Women, Istanbul6 May 2011
Internet / Mobile phone Penetration
Source: International Telecommunications Union
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010*
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
8071.6
30.1
21.1
Internet users per 100 inhabitants, 2000-2010*
Per
100
inha
bita
nts
*EstimatesThe developed/developing country classifications are based on the UN M49, see: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/definitions/regions/index.htmlSource: ITU World Telecommunication /ICT Indicators database
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010*0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
116.1
76.2
67.6
Developed
World
Developing
Per
100
inha
bita
nts
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, 2000-2010*
• Bringing product offers directly to the hands of market women • User friendly design with icons and affordable communication cheaper
than SMS• Enabling farmers to advertise products directly from the source
A solution for Liberian market women and farmers
Solution:
• Extending markets so that isolated farmers can reach numerous potential buyers
• Lowering product costs as market women can bypass intermediaries.
• Location specific solution
Connecting small businesses
Outcome:
• Mobile phones can work in new ways to support market womenand farmers, with wider roll out in country
• Potential for long term sales to large buyers, hotels, restaurants
• Providing fresher products and anticipating future sales, reducing losses to farmers
• Reduction in associated purchasing cost expenses
Benefits of a tailored mobile solution
Addressing challenges:
The right solution comes with sustainedsupport and long term effort• Overcoming a difficult post-conflict
environment, low infrastructure support
• Changing behaviours in buying patterns takes time to achieve
• Fostering partnerships with the private sector (i.e. telecom operators)
• Marketing the solution on a national scale
• Addressing local technical specificities
Lessons learned:
• Using the available infrastructure and technologies
• Achieving PPP
• Building capacities of the trade support network
• Generating awareness at policy-maker level
• Fostering local ownership of the solution…
• …and a business setting promoting service sustainability
Building on experience and improvingtrade-related technical assistance
REPUBLIC OF LIBERIAMINISTRY OF COMMERCE
& INDUSTRY
ProgrammePartners:
Meg Jones
Women and Trade Programme Advisor
ITC
Palais des Nations
1211 Geneva
Switzerland
+41 22 730 0166
Further information: www.intracen.org
Raphael Dard
Trade@Hand Advisor
ITC
Palais des Nations
1211 Geneva
Switzerland
+41 22 730 0111