As part of the ongoing activities of Qodwa-Tech, a national initiative for the digital and financial empowerment of Egyptian ladies, webinars, sessions, and training programs were held in October, targeting women entrepreneurs and owners of craftwork/service projects.
A session was organized in collaboration with the General Bureau of Beni Suef Governorate and the National Council for Women in Beni Suef. The new training tracks offered within Qodwa-Tech for owners of small businesses were introduced.
The session cast light on the role of Qodwa-Tech in empowering women digitally and financially by building their capacity to use technology tools and applications, adding to the national digital transformation efforts. Women, through the initiative, are trained on digital marketing and e-commerce tools to scale their businesses, enter competitive markets, boost sales, increase export opportunities, and improve their financial health.
Digital transformation and its potential were explored, in addition to the national community services and initiatives offered to women entrepreneurs. An explanation of how women can join Qodwa-Tech programs was delivered during the session.
Later in October, a new round of the Social Media Marketing course kicked off, with 50 participants. The training is carried out in collaboration with the Holding Company for Tourism and Hotels and its subsidiaries.
The course features a morning and evening class. It explains how high-quality content for marketing can be created to stay ahead of the competition. The aim is to qualify women entrepreneurs to build productive communities capable of using technology applications and tools.
In the same vein, a new series of “sustainable development sessions” was launched under Qodwa-Tech. With the theme “Design thinking for handicrafts,” the first session was held online, highlighting the relationship between design thinking and innovation in heritage crafts and how a brand’s visual identity can be protected.
The session explained the difference between handicrafts and heritage crafts, tangible and intangible heritage, and visual and brand identities. Other topics discussed included the integration of design thinking into the design process and scientific research and how to leverage that to meet quality design standards while maintaining the three foundations of sustainable development, namely adaptation, innovation, and creativity, to help Egyptian craft products stand out.
The sustainable development sessions series and Qodwa-Tech activities have been tailored to the needs of women entrepreneurs. The initiative’s objectives include upskilling women to stay up-to-date with the latest digital trends, building a community of women leaders, tapping into their innovation potential, and empowering them to contribute to comprehensive, sustainable development. Qodwa-Tech aims to reach a large number of entrepreneurs, open new horizons for women, and raise digital awareness in rural villages and local communities to fulfill the Digital Egypt strategy.
