Meta, FICCI partner to enable 5 lakh women-led SMBs across India

Meta, under its #SheMeansBusiness programme, on Friday announced its partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry's (FICCI) 'Empowering the Greater 50 per cent' to enable and support 5 lakh women-led small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across India.

The announcement was made during Meta's inaugural National Women Entrepreneurship Summit to encourage industry dialogue and steps to support MSMEs across sectors.

"We are hopeful that Meta's pledge to support 5 lakh women-owned businesses will create a supportive ecosystem for women and inspire them to become contributors to the overall development of the country," Narayan Rane, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, said in a statement.

Together with FICCI, Meta will address the barrier to access the right digital tools and resources by offering easy access to tools, programmes and resources by Meta to women entrepreneurs in India.


With this partnership, Meta will extend its support via three initiatives.

The Facebook Business Coach will let women entrepreneurs access self-paced lessons via Meta's educational chatbot tool on WhatsApp and learn how to establish and maintain a digital presence.

Grow Your Business Hub is a one-stop online destination for micro, small and medium businesses to find relevant information, tools, and resources to further empower these businesses to find tools curated to their growth needs.


In addition, Meta's Commerce Partners Programme will enable businesses to build a digital presence, go direct-to-customer and grow using the power of technology.

These businesses will have the opportunity to adopt best-in-class solutions across the retail value chain via our partners, with additional onboarding support, training and preferential pricing.

"To help women-led businesses of India, we are partnering with FICCI to enable 5 lakh women at grassroot levels with appropriate digital tools and resources," said Mohan, Vice-President and Managing Director, Facebook India (Meta).


"This is a part of our commitment to enable 1 crore small businesses over the next 3 years via our Centre for Fuelling India's New Economy (C-FINE) at our new office in Gurgaon," Mohan added.

The #SheMeansBusiness programme was launched in 2016 as a space for entrepreneurial women to make valuable connections, share advice and move forward together. - IANS