To discuss on how to emerge stronger from the economic upheaval post pandemic, over 120 women entrepreneurs are expected to come together from Singapore, Maldives, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan to be a part of the three days international conference to be organized by Federation of Indian Women Entrepreneurs (FIWE) in the capital from March 23 to 25.^.

FIWE is a national level organization devoted towards entrepreneurship development of women in the country.

The conference will be inaugurated by B.B.Swain, MSME Secretary and Narayan Rane, MSME Minister will be gracing the event on the second day of the conference to present the Priyadarshini Awards to successful women entrepreneurs.

“With economies bouncing back after the pandemic, we are glad that women entrepreneurs are taking the lead and coming for the conference. Over 120 women entrepreneurs are expected to come from various countries”, says Dr. Rajni Aggarwal, President, FIWE

“The theme of the Conference “Mission Possible”, aptly describes our objective to emerge stronger from the economic upheaval caused by the pandemic. The pandemic has already shown our entrepreneurs the importance of digital and social media. And quick adaption and continuous reinvention are the key to survive and thrive in testing times”, says Poonam K Malhotra, Vice President, FIWE.

A report by Bain and Company reveals that almost 73 per cent of women-run enterprises in India were negatively impacted by COVID-19; while the revenue of almost 20 per cent of women entrepreneurs dwindled to zero. “However, they are more than willing to turn around the situation; the outcome of our conference just proves the same. They are confident of quick revival”, adds Aggarwal

“While we witnessed many women entrepreneurs shutting shops, there were also many new women entrepreneurs springing up during the pandemic, some who lost their jobs and others who left them to turn entrepreneurs. Certain enterprises also witnessed an increase in revenue”, adds Malhotra.

As seen in EdelGive’s Landscape Study on Women Entrepreneurship that was spread across 13 states and had a sample size of 1,200 women, 19 per cent of the women surveyed cited an improvement in their fiscal gains.

Equipped with the resilience of spirit and adaptability, the constraints of the COVID-19 era have revealed that active support across the ecosystem is all women need to succeed as entrepreneurs.

Keeping the above in mind, the three day conference has been specifically designed to include expert sessions on various important aspects like access to finance through innovative technologies, leveraging e-commerce and digital marketing for business growth and chat sessions with successful entrepreneurs, etc. Apart from this, there will be one-to-one business meetings, factory visits, exhibition and Priyadarshini Award ceremony.