The WiDB at AM-Steve House program is designed to address the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in navigating the digital economy. It combines foundational training, optional learning paths, and advanced formalization support to equip participants with the skills and resources needed to thrive in today’s digital-first world.
The WiDB at AM-Steve House Program is a tripod program comprising the ITCILO Women in Digital Business, the ILO SIYB course, and the Formalization Support Course. This is informed by our pioneer membership in the Financial Inclusion Cluster of the $100 Billion Africa Union’s Women and Youth Financial & Economic Inclusion 2030 Initiative (WYFEI 2030). The logic of our curriculum design is that having basics like business registration, regulatory compliance, and proper branding is critical to digital transformation. Furthermore, having the right business approach and planning is even more important than digital transformation. Hence, the design ensures participants develop robust business planning and execution skills through the ILO SIYB program, are supported throughout their formalization journey, and are then equipped with the knowledge and skills to plan and execute their digital transformation through the WiDB course.
Over the next several months, we propose to train over fifty thousand (50,000) women entrepreneurs and aspiring women entrepreneurs, with a focus on women in non-tech MSMEs. Using a 1%-10%-100% implementation approach, the program will train 5,000 to 50,000 entrepreneurs leading non-tech MSMEs—an area where we've identified a significant gender gap in Africa.
This means the program will: