Around 100 women entrepreneurs from Cagayan de Oro City and neighboring areas in Northern Mindanao participated in the Export and Digital Marketing Seminar organized by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on March 5, 2020 in Cagayan de Oro City. The seminar was part of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative of the United States government.
The seminar was organized in collaboration with the United Parcel Service (UPS), an American multinational package delivery and supply chain management company. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Exporters Confederation (PhilExport), Cagayan de Oro City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the local government of Cagayan de Oro joined the activity.
"When women are economically empowered, they re-invest in their families and communities, producing a multiplier effect that spurs economic growth and contributes to global peace and stability," said USAID/Philippines Mission Director Lawrence Hardy II in his message.
As a culminating activity, a Memorandum of Agreement was forged between the Cagayan de Oro City government and DTI Region 10 to further develop the city’s micro-small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through DTI’s One Town, One Product (OTOP) program. Ninety (90) percent of MSMEs that supply the city’s OTOP are women.
The W-GDP Initiative is an effort of the U.S. government to advance global women’s economic empowerment. Through public and private sector partnerships across 22 countries, the W-GDP aims to reach 50 million women by 2025 in support of its three pillars: 1) women prospering in the workforce; 2) women succeeding as entrepreneurs; and 3) women enabled in the economy.
Globally, USAID and UPS forged a partnership to empower women entrepreneurs through training and workforce development, promoting entrepreneurship by identifying market-access opportunities and high-demand industries, and creating an enabling environment to address regulatory barriers that hinder women exporters.
