Helping Female Entrepreneurs Access Digital Platforms: The Importance of a Tech-Plus-Touch Approach and Other Lessons Learned - Case Study 1

This report showcases a successful pilot program in Ethiopia's Somali region that connected female entrepreneurs with a digital mentoring platform offering valuable resources. The program's key to success was a multi-faceted approach:traditional marketing to raise awareness, in-person support for initial platform navigation, a mobile-friendly low-bandwidth design for easy access, simplified registration to minimize barriers, and clear educational materials to empower women to leverage the platform's full potential. This demonstrates the feasibility of connecting female entrepreneurs in low-income areas with digital resources and highlights the importance of a user-centric approach for successful implementation.