Dubai, UAE, August 28, 2024: Visa, a global leader in digital payments, has announced the launch of the third edition of She’s Next in the UAE, in collaboration with PublisHer, the international organization that aims to address deep-rooted gender imbalances and drive a worldwide agenda for change within the global publishing industry.
She’s Next, supported by Visa, is a global advocacy program that helps women fund, manage and grow their small businesses. This third edition of She’s Next will empower female publishers by providing them with networking opportunities, mentoring, training and funding to succeed in the publishing industry. She’s Next has gained the support of the entire UAE publishing industry, with Sharjah Publishing City supporting as a licensing partner and Sharjah Book Authority and Emirates Publishing Association pledging as supporting partners.
Starting today and running until October 1, 2024, female publishers in the UAE can apply to She’s Next. A winner will receive a $50,000 scholarship, a tailored training program and access to She’s Next Club resources such as a workshop library and entrepreneur community. This year’s UAE edition of the program will focus on four areas including publishing and, later this year, fashion, food and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, Senior Vice President & Group Country Manager for the GCC at Visa, said: “She’s Next is committed to supporting women-led businesses on their growth journey and this year’s partnership with PublisHer is designed to further strengthen this mission. Our Women SMB Digitalization Index showed that 42% of women entrepreneurs see partnerships and networking opportunities as a key challenge for business growth – a trend that has continued over the years. With this year’s edition of She’s Next in the UAE, we are committed to addressing these challenges by offering ample networking opportunities as well as funding, mentorship and resources to empower women-led businesses in the publishing industry and help them succeed in a competitive market.”
PublisHer is a call to action led by female leaders in publishing to address the deep-rooted gender imbalances in their industry and drive an international agenda for change. The initiative aims to support a strong community of creative entrepreneurs and find viable solutions to the many gender inequities that have long characterized the industry.
PublisHer Founder Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi said: “At PublisHer, we are dedicated to empowering women in publishing and improving opportunities for women to grow and thrive globally. Publishing is defined by both creativity and entrepreneurship, and we strive to provide women with platforms to showcase their skills and talents. Our partnership with the Visa She’s Next initiative provides such a platform and brings much-needed local publishing talent into the spotlight, and we are delighted to partner with Visa in supporting our mission.”
She’s Next presents the launch of Visa’s second Women SMB Digitalization Index. The index evaluates companies on 5 indicators: online presence, digital payment acceptance, payment security awareness, customer loyalty and customer retention. Findings from the Women SMB Digitalization Index study include:
More than half of respondents (51%) aim to enter new markets or industries to expand their business.
Almost half of the women-owned companies surveyed (46%) want to expand their product range.
Almost half (42%) of female entrepreneurs see partnership/networking opportunities as a key challenge
Visa is amplifying the impact of She’s Next this year with the goal of supporting an even greater number of women entrepreneurs across sectors. In a critical step towards sustainable development, Visa is partnering with Emirates Nature-WWF. This alliance accelerates our commitment to climate action and sustainability, bringing important industry knowledge and expertise from the environmental and conservation sectors. In the coming months, Visa will launch programs to support women entrepreneurs in fashion, food and other sectors. This partnership not only underscores our commitment to diversity and inclusivity in entrepreneurship, but also reaffirms our commitment to sustainability and critical climate action. The upcoming She’s Next in Food is scheduled to premiere in November.
Laila Mostafa Abdullatif, Director General of Emirates Nature-WWF, said: “Women offer diverse perspectives and experiences that contribute to broader strategies and solutions that work for 100% of humanity. Emirates Nature-WWF is delighted to support women-led businesses and initiatives in conservation, sustainability and other areas through advice and unbiased mentorship.”
In 2023, Visa GCC’s She’s Next and SheTrades collaborative initiatives trained 340 women from six countries and, in partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC), supported over 12,000 female employees. 96% of participants reported improved skills and 97% increased confidence. For the third edition of She’s Next this year, Microsoft Philanthropies will be on board to further enhance the business and digital skills of women entrepreneurs and increase their export competitiveness, market access and financial inclusion.
Since 2020, Visa has invested approximately $3 million in over 250 scholarships and coaching sessions for women small and medium-sized business owners worldwide through the She’s Next scholarship program, including in the United States, Canada, India, Ireland, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Pakistan, Kenya, South Africa, Ivory Coast and Morocco.
To learn more and apply for the Visa She’s Next Grant Program, applicants must submit a short application form with details of their business and digital presence.
Those interested in other streams can register their interest on the relevant Visa website. Registered participants will be notified once the respective stream has officially started.
