The third edition supports female entrepreneurs in publishing, fashion, food and more over several months
Global digital payments provider Visa has launched the third edition of She’s Next in the United Arab Emirates in partnership with PublisHer, an international organisation that aims to combat persistent gender inequalities and promote a global agenda for change in the publishing sector.
Empowering female publishers
Supported by Visa, She’s Next is a global advocacy program that helps women fund, manage and grow their small businesses. This latest edition focuses on empowering female publishers by providing them with networking opportunities, mentoring, training and funding to help them succeed in the publishing industry. In addition, the wider UAE publishing community has rallied behind She’s Next, with Sharjah Publishing City as licensing partner and Sharjah Book Authority and Emirates Publishing Association as supporting partners.
Application and incentives
From August 28 to October 1, 2024, female publishers in the UAE can apply for the She’s Next program. A selected winner will receive a $50,000 scholarship, a tailored training program and access to resources from the She’s Next Club, which includes a library of workshops and a community of women entrepreneurs. This year’s initiative focuses on four areas: publishing, later focusing on fashion, food and entrepreneurship.
Addressing challenges for female entrepreneurs
Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, Senior Vice President & Group Country Manager for the GCC at Visa, explained that She’s Next is focused on supporting the growth of women-owned businesses. She noted that this year’s partnership with PublisHer aims to reinforce this mission. According to their Women SMB Digitalization Index, a significant number of women entrepreneurs – 42 percent – see partnerships and networking opportunities as a major challenge to business growth, a trend that has not changed over the years. With the current edition of She’s Next in the UAE, she highlighted their commitment to addressing these challenges by providing extensive networking opportunities as well as funding, mentorship and resources to empower women-owned businesses in the publishing sector and help them succeed in a competitive market.
Read more: Women’s Day in the Emirates: Celebrate the driving forces behind SME growth in Abu Dhabi
PublisHer is a call to action by women in publishing to tackle the gender imbalance in their industry and drive meaningful change internationally. The initiative also aims to build a supportive community of creative women entrepreneurs and find effective solutions to the long-standing gender inequalities within the industry.
Commitment to empowerment
Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder of PublisHer, stated that the organization is committed to empowering women in the publishing industry and improving opportunities for women to grow and succeed globally. She emphasized that publishing combines creativity and entrepreneurship, and highlighted her goal of providing women with platforms to showcase their skills and talents. Sheikha Bodour also mentioned that the partnership with Visa’s She’s Next initiative provides such a platform and brings much-needed exposure to local publishing talent, and expressed her excitement about working with Visa to support her mission.
Insights from the Women SMB Digitalization Index
This edition of She’s Next also features the release of Visa’s second Women SMB Digitalization Index. In addition, this index evaluates companies based on five criteria: online presence, digital payment acceptance, payment security awareness, customer loyalty, and customer retention. Key findings from the index include:
- More than half of respondents (51 percent) want to enter new markets or industries to expand their business.
- Almost half of the women-owned companies surveyed (46 percent) would like to expand their product range.
- About 42 percent of female entrepreneurs say that securing partnerships and networking opportunities is a significant challenge.
Expanding impact and sustainability initiatives
Additionally, this year Visa aims to expand the impact of She’s Next and support a greater number of female entrepreneurs across different sectors. In a significant step towards sustainable development, Visa is partnering with Emirates Nature-WWF to strengthen its commitment to climate action and sustainability, leveraging critical industry knowledge and environmental expertise. In addition, upcoming programs will support female entrepreneurs in fashion, food and other sectors, reinforcing Visa’s commitment to diversity, inclusivity and sustainable climate initiatives. The She’s Next in Food program is scheduled to launch in November.
Support for women-led initiatives
In addition, Laila Mostafa Abdullatif, Director General of Emirates Nature-WWF, noted that women bring diverse perspectives and experiences that lead to broader strategies and solutions that benefit all of humanity. She also expressed the organization’s enthusiasm to support women-led businesses and initiatives in conservation, sustainability and other areas through advice and impartial mentorship.
Notable achievements in 2023
In 2023, Visa GCC’s initiatives, including She’s Next and SheTrades, in partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC), trained 340 women in six countries, benefitting over 12,000 female workers. 96 percent of participants reported improved skills and 97 percent reported increased confidence. This year’s She’s Next initiative will partner with Microsoft Philanthropies to develop the business and digital skills of women entrepreneurs and improve their export competitiveness, market access and financial inclusion.
Investing in female entrepreneurs
Since 2020, Visa has invested approximately $3 million in over 250 scholarships and coaching opportunities for women small and medium-sized business owners through the She’s Next scholarship program. The effort spans the United States, Canada, India, Ireland, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Pakistan, Kenya, South Africa, Ivory Coast and Morocco.
The application deadline is October 1, 2024. Click here Here to find out more.
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