The two-day business conference of Women and e-Commerce Forum (WE) – a popular platform of over 450,000 entrepreneurs – is set to start in Dhaka on Friday morning.
Some 2,000 women entrepreneurs will attend the event, being organized for the fifth time. They will showcase their products at a fair and attend business seminars and workshops during the event at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
The WE social media community has over 1.3 million members, many of whom joined the Facebook group during the Covid-19 pandemic when thousands of women started small online businesses to recover from economic hardship.
Many of them have expanded their businesses since then – thanks to the support of the WE platform.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque will inaugurate the event at 10am, while Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal will join the program at 4pm.
ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak will distribute the Joyee Award among 20 women who are successful in different sectors, including entrepreneurship, on the second day.
“WE Facebook group provides networking, training, and other opportunities for nearly 450,000 entrepreneurs,” said WE President and E-CAB Joint General Secretary Nasima Akhter Nisha. She expressed gratitude towards the ICT state minister for his constant support and guidance.
"We hope the conference will show how women entrepreneurs are gradually transforming into the main driving force of the economy,” she told Dhaka Tribune.
A total of 30 guests will take part in discussions on the two days of the conference.
There will be workshops by local and foreign guest speakers on various topics, including easy and uninterrupted internet access for entrepreneurs, adapting themselves to the logistics ecosystem and financing for business expansion, Facebook marketing, and photography. A total of eight sessions will be conducted online since many of the entrepreneurs may not be able to join the program in Dhaka.
On the second day, a “fashion show” will be held with various products and services made by the WE entrepreneurs. Again, these entrepreneurs will host a cultural event.