Walmart launches entrepreneurship programme for women

Walmart India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walmart Stores, has announced an entrepreneurship development programme for women-owned businesses to enhance their skills, capability and sustainability. The company is working with non-profit organisation WEConnect International, and Vrutti, a centre for sustainable livelihood, to implement the training programme, it said in a statement.

“I am extremely delighted to support women-owned businesses as part of our supply chain in India. Enhancing the capacity of women entrepreneurs and providing them with the skills to scale up their business will ultimately help Walmart India continue to offer great assortment and quality local products to our customers,” Walmart India president and chief executive officer Krish Iyer said.

The initiative is designed to help women entrepreneurs achieve higher levels of business growth through a training curriculum. The curriculum will be delivered through workshops and mentoring sessions with technical experts, established women-owned businesses, academic experts and business managers, it said. The first phase of the programme will include participation of 25 women-owned businesses in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

In September 2011, Walmart launched its Global Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) initiative, using its unique size and scale to improve the lives of under-served women and help women-owned businesses. As part of the initiative, Walmart committed to source USD 20 billion from women for its US business and double sourcing from women-owned businesses internationally.