WhatsApp and NITI Aayog join hands to promote women entrepreneurs

Under the aegis of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), WhatsApp and NITI Ayog have announced a partnership to support the growth of a robust ecosystem that will promote women entrepreneurs. 

NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) is the premier policy think tank of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs.

Launched in 2018 by NITI Aayog, WEP is an initiative to help, support and build an ecosystem for women across India to help them realise their entrepreneurial dreams. It aims to help them chalk-out sustainable and long term business strategies and scale up. 

The announcement was made in New Delhi during WhatsApp’s launch of ‘Gateway to a Billion Opportunities,’ a collection of impactful stories from across India presented as a coffee table book. In India, over one million businesses use WhatsApp to support their customers and help drive their growth. WhatsApp offers simple, secure, and reliable messaging and calling, available on mobile phones all over the world.

Both Will Cathcart, Global Head of WhatsApp, and Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog, were at the event. 

Speaking at the event about this partnership to support women entrepreneurs, Amitabh Kant said,

"India has one of the most vibrant startup ecosystems, and the next big disruptions will be driven by women-led enterprises, with digital medium being the biggest enabler. This partnership with WhatsApp underlines our mutual commitment to support the aspirations of women entrepreneurs in India."

“It’s our honour to partner with NITI Aayog to help support the future women business leaders of India,” said Will Cathcart. He further added,

"Small businesses are the backbone of a strong economy and I am proud of the role WhatsApp can play in helping build the next generation of India’s women entrepreneurs."

NITI Aayog will work towards capacity building of women entrepreneurs and evolve specific programmes to address the challenges women entrepreneurs face. The initiative will also target the registered users of WEP. 

WhatsApp will also drive change and give support through this partnership. 

It will partner with the Women Transforming India (WTI) Awards 2019, a flagship initiative of NITI Aayog and provide $100,000 for the WTI winners. These awards are organised in partnership with the United Nations and recognise and celebrate the contributions of women who are not just addressing and solving key societal challenges but also challenging the stereotypes and breaking the glass ceiling. 

(Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta)

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