KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has joined hands with Meta – the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, and Whatsapp – to “digitally empower 500 women entrepreneurs and other high value small businesses.
The announcement was made at the launching ceremony for the initiative, “The Digital Bridge: Advancing Financial Inclusion for Pakistan,” held in Karachi. officials of the Ministry of Commerce, Women Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and other prominent members of the telecommunication, banking and business community.
Meta said consulting agency Demo will select the new programme participants from Pakistan’s export-oriented chambers as well as the pool of small business owners that participated in the first phase of the SheMeansBusiness curriculum in the country.
“SheMeansBusiness” was a Meta initiative launched in 2018 in Pakistan in which over 30,000 women across 51 cities, including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, received training.
The participants will be “equipped with the tools and techniques needed to succeed in the competitive online landscape and scale their businesses”.
SBO Deputy Governor Sima Kamil said small businesses played a “crucial role” to boost the country’s economy, adding that the central bank was “pleased to support Meta’s initiative to empower more women entrepreneurs and small businesses and help them scale their businesses in Pakistan.
“We hope that the knowledge they gain will also help them tap into export markets.” Meta’s Director of Policy Programmes Beth Ann Lim said the organisation was “committed to support the economic growth of Pakistan” by empowering small business owners, especially women entrepreneurs, by upskilling them in the digital space and helping them develop their revenue generation streams.
