Local and international authorities presented this Tuesday the Fund for Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (Weide, for its acronym in English), an initiative that seeks to increase female participation in the Dominican Republic and other nations of the world in the international trade.
In the country, 34 exporting companies led by women will be the first beneficiaries of this initiative, launched by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Trade Center (ITC), entities that will allocate a total of 50 million dollars to support businesswomen globally.
These organizations will work together with the Export and Investment Center of the Dominican Republic (ProDominicana), with the aim of helping the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) led by women to overcome the barriers to entering the international trade by improving their digital capabilitiesfinancial preparation and access to new markets.
Resilience, innovation and ambition
At the launch event, the deputy director of the WTO, Johanna Hillvalued the innovation, resilience and ambition of Dominican entrepreneurs. “Through the Weide Fundthe WTO and ITC are committed to helping them take advantage of the opportunities of the digital commerce and strengthen their participation in global value chains,” he said.
According to the scheme defined by the WTO and the ITC, in each beneficiary country the participants join a two day program which combines the presentation act with specialized workshopsand then receive technical assistance sustained.
The executive director of the ITC, Pamela Coke-Hamiltonhighlighted that “the Caribbean has dynamic companies led by women ready to scale,” and stated that the fund will provide them with “tools, knowledge and networks to accelerate their growth and reach new markets“.
For her part, the executive director of ProDominicana, Biviana Riveiropointed out that the country’s participation in the first phase of the fund is a recognition of the work that the Government has done to support Dominican entrepreneurs consistently for more than five years.
He highlighted that the national call “it exceeded all expectations,” with more than 200 applications, which demonstrates “the dynamism, creativity and firm determination of Dominican women to internationalize their projects.”
In his speech, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs, Víctor –Ito– Bisonó, stated that the Weide Fund It will be a tool designed to multiply capabilities, open new doors and accompany the business dreams of women who are already leaving their mark on the world. digital economy and in international markets.
He stressed that this initiative is framed in a favorable economic context, highlighting that, between January and October, the exports of the country exceeded 11,954 million dollarswith a growth of more than 10%.
