Etisalat empowers women in rural Africa

Etisalat Group has launched an initiative through its Moov subsidiaries in Benin and Togo to encourage entrepreneurship and financial autonomy for women in rural African communities. "This initiative is spreading the benefits of mobile technology, raising standards of living and encouraging commerce all at the same time," said Essa Al Haddad, Chief Regional Officer Africa, Etisalat Group. "By creating innovative products and services and delivering them in original ways, Etisalat is strengthening the social fabric and increasing the prosperity of the communities it serves." The initiative, known as Weena, involves equipping local women by providing them with micro-loans and training them to start businesses distributing Moov services in their communities. Weena agents support the women by providing a tailored value proposition including relevant value-added services and an innovative rewarding scheme through cash bonuses delivered directly to a mobile saving account that can be used exclusively for buying selected goods (e.g. school supplies or health products). This innovative mechanism is leveraging on Etisalat mobile commerce platform Flous and its entire ecosystem. Successful Weena agents also receive virtual money in a community savings account that can be used for projects towards their community under their management and in cooperation with Moov. Etisalat Group introduced Weena after winning the Women Innovation Fund Grant from the GSMA, a global trade association that represents the interests of mobile operators. Even at the early stages in the project, the innovation was already recognised as having great potential as it demonstrated deep understanding of women's needs based on market research, benchmarking with other mobile phone projects targeted at women in the region and analysis of female consumption and recharge patterns. Weena was designed to best meet the needs of women in rural areas. "By targeting women in rural communities, we are helping to empower a group that can become a powerful agent of economic and social development," Al Haddad said. "The initiative provides training, encourages new behaviour and puts women at the heart of managing their communities." Weena will become a preferred vehicle for Etisalat/Moov to carry out female-specific Corporate and Social Responsibility initiatives involving women who are the most active in community development and in investing in the community's loyalty bonuses towards the best projects. Etisalat currently serves 144 million customers in 15 countries throughout the Middle East, Africa and Asia. – Emirates News Agency, WAM