Meta remains committed to supporting the digital empowerment of Pakistani women entrepreneurs

Meta has teamed up with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), National Institute of Banking & Finance (NIBAF) and Demo to launch the second phase of their flagship SheMeansBusiness program in Pakistan. Together, they aim to digitally empower 500 women entrepreneurs and other high-value small businesses through training and access to resources and networking opportunities.

This week saw the launching ceremony “The Digital Bridge: Advancing Financial Inclusion for Pakistan”. It was attended by officials from the Ministry of Commerce, Women’s Chambers of Commerce and Industry and other prominent members of the telecommunications, banking and business world.

Sima Kamil, Deputy Governor of SBP who attended the launch, said: “Small businesses play a vital role in boosting the country’s economy. We are pleased to support Meta’s initiative to empower more female entrepreneurs and small businesses and help them scale their businesses in Pakistan. We hope that the knowledge they gain will also help them to tap into export markets.”

Beth Ann Lim, director of policy programs at Metasaid

“At Meta, we are committed to supporting Pakistan’s economic growth by empowering small business owners, especially female entrepreneurs, by upskilling them in the digital space and helping them develop their income-generating streams. We thank SBP, NIBAF and Demo for the collaboration and look forward to working together towards our collective goal of unlocking the potential of women-owned businesses and creating a more just society.”

Demo will select the new program entrants from Pakistan’s export-oriented chambers and from the pool of small business owners who participated in the first phase of the SheMeansBusiness curriculum in Pakistan. They will be equipped with the tools and techniques necessary to succeed in the competitive online landscape and scale their business.

A total of 100 participants will receive advanced training on export advertising from Dial Zero, Meta’s associated sales partner in the country. Meta will provide advertising credits on Facebook to help them strengthen their presence by reaching target customers locally and globally. At the end of this phase of the program, Demo will produce a handbook of case studies on how the companies used the power of social media to access new markets outside of Pakistan.

Mr. Riaz Chunara, Managing Director of NIBAF, appreciated the initiative and said: “It is important to ensure that small businesses are well equipped with tools and techniques to leverage the digital space so that they can advertise more effectively and grow their customer base. to expand. It not only helps them expand their reach in Pakistan, but also gives them the push they need to move forward.”

In 2018, Meta launched the SheMeansBusiness initiative in Pakistan. To date, more than 30,000 women in 51 cities of Pakistan, including AJK and GB, have received training.

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