Officials join development partners and invited guests for the opening of the training project in Vientiane on Friday.

Asean, Korea to boost skills of women entrepreneurs

Lao women will have another opportunity to improve their businesses by learning about digital marketing and e-commerce.
A project titled “Increasing Digital Skills and E-Commerce for Asean Women MSMEs (IDEAS)” was launched in Vientiane on Friday, supported by Asean and the Republic of Korea, aiming to strengthen businesses run by female entrepreneurs, especially those engaged in small and medium-sized enterprises.
The project will teach them to improve their digital skills so they can operate their business online and expand their market base in Asean and beyond.
The project opening ceremony was hosted by Enterprise and Development Consultant Co., Ltd. (EDC) and representatives of other small and medium-sized enterprises, and attended by government officials and representatives of SMEs and leading online market platforms in Laos.
Preparations for the IDEAS project began last year, and it will continue until 2025. It is being rolled out in different stages. Last year, the project plan was developed and locations in the 10 Asean countries were selected for project implementation.
This year 14 coaches have been appointed to prepare a training curriculum and announce the free training courses to the public. A total of 242 selected applicants will participate in the training courses in 2024-25.
In the last year of the project in 2026, representatives from Laos will participate in the Asean IDEAS exhibition to display their achievements, share ideas, and discuss their experiences with representatives of IDEAS project from other Asean member countries.
The IDEAS project is open to interested women entrepreneurs who have a strong desire to digitalise their business operations.
Selected applicants will be invited to attend one-to-three-day training sessions at EDC in Vientiane, free of charge.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update September 11, 2023)