The newly-launched DigiFemmes Entrepreneurs programme aims to empower Ivory Coast-based female entrepreneurs with data and digital skills to help grow their businesses.
DigiFemmes Entrepreneurs is a track from the DigiFemmes programme, which supports existing women-led small and medium enterprises (W-SMEs) in their growth journeys, creates a robust pipeline of new W-SMEs, and works with ecosystem stakeholders to build a supportive environment for digital skills in Ivory Coast.
The programme combines an innovative yet proven pedagogical approach to skills training with a built-in sustainability mechanism to ensure it is impactful, scalable, and sustainable. The model follows a systems-thinking approach and works with existing W-SMEs on addressing the data and digital skills needed to grow their businesses.
Helping new W-SMEs gain digital skills to launch and validate their businesses or increase their employability, the program is also supported by a supportive ecosystem of stakeholders such as governments, investors, and entrepreneurship support organisations. DigiFemmes aims to create a more supportive environment for skill development in female founders.
Implemented by consortium partners SAFEEM, Seedstars Côte d’Ivoire, Empow’Her Côte d’Ivoire, Dalberg, and Edu01, the programme is funded by the US Government’s USAID and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), in partnership with Microsoft.
“We are thrilled to partner with the SAFEEM consortium to implement a programme that combines multiple MCC priorities: a focus on enabling digital development from the ground up, and the economic empowerment and inclusion of women,” said Kat Ntep, MCC’s deputy director for sector operations.
“We hope this programme will increase the number of women role models that girls will have to look up to and aspire to be – and we are grateful to our partners, USAID and Microsoft, who are providing important resources and contributions to the DigiFemmes programme.”
