75 entrepreneurs graduate from third edition of Walmart India's Women Entrepreneurship Development Program

Launched in April 2016 by Walmart India, the programme has touched nearly 150 women entrepreneurs so far. 

Walmart India, the wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart Inc, has announced the closure of its third edition of Women Entrepreneurship Development Program (WEDP), an initiative to equip women-owned businesses (WOBs) with professional and life skills to build robust and sustainable businesses

Launched in April 2016 in India, the programme has touched nearly 150 women entrepreneurs so far.

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In its third edition, a total of 75 women entrepreneurs graduated from the WEDP.

These 75 women represented both product categories, such as edible cutlery, eco-friendly stationery and gift items, apparel, herbal cosmetics, spices, processed food, tea, nutrition bars, as well as services sectors, such as AI consultancy, energy efficient solutions, travel management solutions and research and insights, among others.

Supported by Walmart, WEConnect International led the overall coordination and conceptualisation of the programme, selection and assessment of participants while the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) customised the training curriculum and imparted the training.

According to a press statement, during the three-month programme, the WOBs underwent a structured capacity building training, mentoring and technical support for their respective businesses. The training included modules on replenishment, logistics, supply chain, product marketing, financial planning, resource management, marketing, finance, business strategy, operations, legal and compliance. While 40 women attended the classroom training, the rest participated in virtual training sessions on select modules.

"Walmart is deeply committed to women’s economic empowerment and this year, we harnessed the power of technology to reach even more women entrepreneurs. We congratulate the graduates of this programme and wish them success in their entrepreneurial journey," said Krish Iyer, President & CEO, Walmart India.

In September 2011, Walmart launched the Global Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) initiative, a five-year initiative to use its unique size and scale to improve the lives of underserved women around the world, for which Walmart committed to source $20 billion from the women entrepreneurs for its US business and double sourcing from WOBs internationally.

"In addition to the training, which included life skills, social media marketing, negotiation skills, and other topics, the participants become part of a community that will strengthen their professional and personal networks in the future, too,” said Edith Cecchini, Regional Director for Asia, WEConnect International, according to the statement.