To support Sri Lankan women-owned businesses during COVID-19, the IFC-DFAT Women in Work program, in partnership with Women's Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Women’s International Foundation, designed an innovative training program helping women entrepreneurs scale up their operations. The 15-week virtual training program covered an array of modules including entrepreneurship, taxation, marketing, supply chain, digital finance and financial literacy. The program – aligned with the National Financial Inclusion Strategy, a multi-stakeholder effort led by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka with technical assistance from IFC – is part of IFC’s broader efforts to support financial inclusion in Sri Lanka.
On International Women's Day, the International Finance Corporation are celebrating the role of women in developing economies, in this case their support for female-owned businesses such as this bathroom hardware business in Sri Lanka.
Increased entrepreneurship, and increased female participation in the labour market are important drivers of inclusive development.