Between 2018 and 2023, IFC, in partnership with the European Commission ran the Digital2Equal initiative which produced valuable insights using never-before accessible platform data on women’s use of and participation in e-commerce and e-learning. This event will provide an overview of the key findings and lessons learned in boosting women’s participation in the two platforms and will bring together private sector representatives and digital inclusion experts to provide a nuanced discussion of the challenges and key takeaways from the research published under this initiative.
- the EU's international role | international cooperation
- Thursday 8 June 2023, 15:00 - 16:30 (CEST)
Practical information
- When
- Thursday 8 June 2023, 15:00 - 16:30 (CEST)
- Where
- Webex Meetings
- Languages
- English
- Organisers
- International Partnerships InfoPoint
Description
Digital transformation impacts every corner of our lives. Digitally enabled business models like digital marketplaces, payment systems, and social networking platforms will create 70 percent of new value added over the next decade. Yet digital gaps in access, skills, and adoption of new digital technologies between men and women mean that women can be further excluded from these new business opportunities.
Between 2018 and 2023, IFC in partnership with the European Commission ran the Digital2Equal initiative that aimed to boost opportunities for women using technology in emerging markets. The initiative convened 17 companies across the platform economy to develop and share best practices for designing for women providers and customers. It also partnered with different online platforms to leverage user data, that would otherwise not be publicly available, to shed light on how disruptive technology impacts women. This included a study on women and e-commerce in Africa and Southeast Asia in partnership with Digital2Equal members Jumia and Lazada and a study on women and online learning in emerging markets in partnership with Coursera. The studies demonstrated a clear business case for closing participation gaps in these sectors: In e-commerce, closing revenue gaps between male and female vendors by 2025 would yield almost $300 billion in additional market value in Africa and Southeast Asia. In e-learning, closing gender participation gaps could add up to $14 billion to the online learning market in emerging markets between 2022 and 2026 alone—a 10% market increase.
This session will provide a retrospective overview of the key findings and lessons learned from this research. After opening remarks, the session will start with a presentation of the key findings on women’s digital inclusion in e-commerce, and e-learning. Then it will convene a panel discussion from the private sector and digital inclusion experts who will speak about their experiences in boosting women’s participation in both sectors. It will conclude with a Q&A session.
Speakers
- Cécile Billaux, Head of Unit for Private Sector, Trade, Investment Climate and Employment Directorate-General for International Partnerships
- Jaylan ElShazly, Disruptive Technology Acting Lead, IFC Gender and Economic Inclusion Group
- Heather Mae Kipnis, Global Product Lead, Gender and Economic Inclusion Group, International Finance Corporation
- Abdesslam Benzitouni, VP, Global Head of Communications and Public Relations, Jumia Group
- Maria-Nicole Ikonomou, Head of Enterprise Communications, Coursera
- Dr. Ronda Zelezny-Green, Digital Inclusion Expert, Co-Founder and Director of Panoply Digital
Language of conference: English
Language of Q&A session: English
Registration