Mastercard has launched two female-led initiatives, tagged ‘ImpactHer and EmpowerHer’, in partnership with Women Choice to expand investment and support for women entrepreneurs to help grow their business and create jobs across the Middle East and Africa.
Amnah Ajmal, executive vice president, market development, EEMEA, Mastercard, said that Mastercard has been at the forefront of providing women with access to digital tools, and training to help them start and grow their businesses.
According to her, Mastercard is creating mentorship and networking platforms and working with employers to create more jobs for women.
“At Mastercard, we are committed to creating a more inclusive and equitable world, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
“Our expanded partnership with Women Choice will not only have a significant impact on women in the workplace across the region but also provide women entrepreneurs with the right skills, resources, and tools to succeed and drive economic growth in the region,” Ajmal said in a statement.
Accordingly, the collaboration with Women Choice is a step further in reinforcing their commitment to empowering female-led businesses with resources and growth opportunities to provide 1 million employment opportunities for women by 2030.
Nezha Alaoui, founder/CEO of Women Choice, said that the programmes will offer comprehensive support through training and mentorship for women entrepreneurs and help them create employment opportunities for other women in their chosen fields.
“We are proud to see the successful results of the program launched in 2023 in collaboration with Mastercard and are excited to see the partnership continuing to grow through 2024. We are now focusing on scaling the impact.
“Bringing change and improving the situation of women in the workplace and providing support to women-led businesses is a key element to help economies in the Middle East and Africa region grow and further thrive,” Alaoui said.
She disclosed that globally, about 15,000 women are already part of the Women Choice network and have participated in over 100 accelerator programs and conferences organised in recent years.
Women Choice, an international organisation dedicated to advancing women’s personal and professional development launched the pilot cohort in 2023. The next cohorts will be participating in the new programs this year and will aim to impact 50,000 women.
