News

The original version of this blog was published on the GloballyCool website. 

In the vibrant and culturally rich landscape of Sri Lanka, a significant transformation is quietly unfolding. Female entrepreneurs, often hindered by limited access to trade and resources, are now stepping into the world of exports, e-commerce and digital marketing. The Canadian Trade and Investment Facility for Development is equipping these women with the skills and confidence they need to thrive in the digital economy and in international trade.

Teamwork makes the dream work

In this transformative project, a collaborative effort brings together several key actors. The technical assistance is funded by Global Affairs Canada through the Canadian Trade and Investment Facility for Development (CTIF). CTIF is managed by a Canadian consortium led by Cowater International in partnership with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC). CTIF facilitates strategic planning and the deployment of specialized subcontractors. Among these subcontractors is Globally Cool, an expert team dedicated to enhancing trade and e-commerce capabilities. Central to the project’s success is also the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC), a pivotal partner and the main beneficiary. WCIC plays a crucial role in empowering women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka, ensuring the project’s sustainability and long-term impact by leading its replication and extension.

The challenge in Sri Lanka

Imagine running a small business in Sri Lanka. You have a great product, a passionate customer base, but something is missing—the digital know-how to expand your reach. This is the reality for many female entrepreneurs in the country. Despite their determination and creativity, they often find themselves at a disadvantage due to a lack of training in trade, ecommerce and digital marketing. This gap limits their growth potential and economic independence.

The COVID-19 pandemic, while accelerating the global shift towards online business, further highlighted these challenges. Businesses that were quick to adopt digital strategies thrived, while those without access to such knowledge struggled to survive. For female entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka, this digital divide represents a significant hurdle to their success.

In the case of international trade, small women-owned companies lack access to information regarding international trade, finding it very difficult to assess their current capacities and start their journey towards exports.

The solution: empowering female entrepreneurs

The project aims to turn these challenges into opportunities. We embarked on a mission to provide comprehensive export readiness, ecommerce and digital marketing training and entrepreneurial workshops tailored specifically for women-led SMEs in Sri Lanka. With the support of international donors and local partners, we developed a series of engaging and practical training programs.

Empowering key local market actors: the WCIC

A key partner in this initiative is the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC), dedicated to empowering over 200 women entrepreneurs across various sectors in Sri Lanka. Recognizing the need for enhanced trade and digital skills, we collaborated with WCIC to develop a targeted program addressing the specific challenges faced by female entrepreneurs.

Securing local ownership: WCIC’s academy

The Women´s Chamber of Industry and Commerce is planning to widen its offer of services to women entrepreneurs by launching an Academy and provide several trainings on different topics. The trainings on Export Readiness, Ecommerce and Digital Marketing will complement the WCIC´s offer, contributing to its objectives. By creating a curriculum for a local initiative, we secure the ongoing impact of this intervention.

Implementation

Situational assessment

Before diving into the training, we conducted a thorough situational assessment. This involved evaluating the current exports and ecommerce practices among women-led SMEs and mapping the existing services provided by WCIC. We identified key areas where support was needed, which informed the design of our training programs.

Strategic export and ecommerce support services roadmap

We developed a strategic roadmap to guide the WCIC in providing sustainable support to women-led SMEs in the topics of exports and ecommerce. This roadmap included a detailed business plan ensuring a solid foundation for long-term success.

Training of Trainers: empowering local actors

The next step in the project is to train over 20 women Business Advisors in the topics of Export Readiness and Ecommerce and Digital Marketing, as well as training and coaching skills.

One of the highlights of our project so far has been the Training of Trainers (ToT) session on Export Readiness. We brought together a dynamic group of WCIC staff and BAs for an intensive training session. These women learned not only about export readiness but also effective training techniques to pass on their knowledge to others.

Next steps

The next ToT session on Ecommerce and digital marketing just took place last week. In this session we brought together this group of business advisor with our Globally Cool experts, as well as local guest speakers to offer context-specific solutions.

Pilot training and coaching: achieving sustainability and scalability through the WCIC and the newly trained business advisors

After training the woman Business Advisors, they will conduct a pilot training to Women-SMES in Sri Lanka. To do this, the Business Advisors together with the Globally Cool team will adapt the materials to the local context and the specific needs of the beneficiary companies. Based on this pilot training, the WCIC will structure their permanent offer of this training service as part of their upcoming academy.

After the training, the advisors will coach these businesses in developing and implementing improvement plans, focusing on e-commerce and export readiness.

Giving continuity to other programs

This project aligns with the International Trade Centre’s Women and Trade program, connecting women entrepreneurs with global opportunities. The project also aligns with initiatives inspired by the ITC, such as the Sri Lanka Export Development Board’s Women Entrepreneurs Development Program and She Trades Program, further expanding its impact.