Meta and partners celebrate women entrepreneurs’ contribution to Bangladesh’s digital economy

Meta, formerly known as the Facebook company, is celebrating women entrepreneurs and their communities in partnership with the Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme, Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI), and LightCastle Partners. These women-owned enterprises have adopted digital services to grow their businesses, contributing to the country’s economic growth.

Salman F Rahman, MP, Hon’ble Private Industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, attended the Digital Entrepreneurship and Communities Summit held in Dhaka on Monday, May 9, 2022.

During a fireside chat, he said “Bangladeshi small businesses play an important role in elevating the country on the global stage. It is encouraging to see how digital platforms like Meta are enabling this mission and strengthening the resilience of the private sector.”

According to Bangladesh’s SME Policy 2019, there are 7.8 million registered small and medium enterprises in Bangladesh and they contribute close to 25 percent to the country’s GDP. Many depended on digital tools to connect with their customers to sustain their businesses during the pandemic.

Zunaid Ahmed Palak, MP, Hon’ble State Minister for ICT in Bangladesh, said, “The vision of Digital Bangladesh has a strong focus on supporting small business owners and women entrepreneurs to use digital platforms. This helps them reach markets, including customers outside Bangladesh. Developing skills to achieve this is a critical part of the journey, so we thank Meta and partners for their long term focused initiatives in this regard.”

Simon Milner, Meta’s Vice President of Public Policy for the Asia Pacific region, attended the Summit and spoke about Meta’s flagship program #SheMeansBusiness, which was launched in Bangladesh earlier this year.

He said, “Meta is committed to supporting women-owned businesses in Bangladesh by equipping them with the skills they need to face the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and thrive. We are thankful to our partners for their support as we work together towards the vision of an inclusive and sustainable digital economy in Bangladesh.”

Globally #SheMeansBusiness and its strong network of community partners is training women entrepreneurs across 32 countries. Through this program, Meta aims to reach more than 10,000 Bangladeshi women to help them build and grow their businesses.

To learn more about how Meta supports women-owned small businesses through the #SheMeansBusiness program, see: https://shemeansbusiness.fb.com/