Mentoring session: ICT landscape and new business opportunities

The evolving ICT landscape is offering women entrepreneurs new opportunities to strengthen their businesses and become more effective. Studies show that there are different tools such as mobile applications, online platforms and networks, online radio and podcasts, blogs, digital marketing, e -commerce and others that are helping women entrepreneurs to reach out to customers and build their businesses in ways they could not do before. Effective use of ICTs is now helping to overcome several challenges that women entrepreneurs in developed and developing countries face alike. However, the data of this project shows that in the region of Elbasan there is a clear evidence of a “gender digital divide” wherein women entrepreneurs – due to lack of literacy, skills, access, resources and other factors – are excluded from the opportunities and benefits offered by ICTs or benefit far less than men. This confirms the results of other studies as well in this regard.