Aspire to Innovate- a2i has launched a network called ‘Sathi’ to expedite the financial inclusion activities of the Government of Bangladesh and increase the participation of women in financial inclusion. The network was formally inaugurated by Md. Abul Kalam Azad, former Chief Coordinator for SDG at the Prime Minister’s Office and Special Envoy of the CVF Presidency, at the Women Entrepreneurs Conference held at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theater in the capital on Monday (March 14). Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank Abu Farah Md. Nasser and President and Managing Director of Bank Asia Limited Md. Arfan Ali and Program Officer of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Snigdha Ali were present as guests of honor at the inaugural function of Women Entrepreneurs Conference. The event was presided over by a2i’s Project Director (Joint Secretary) Dr. Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir.
Nahid Sultana Mallick, Joint Project Director (Joint Secretary) of a2i; Mr. Md. Zakir Hossain General Manager (SME and Special Programs) of Bangladesh Bank; Bangladesh Country Economist Dr. Nazneen Ahmed and Mr. Tahurul Hasan, Program Manager, Digital Financial Services, a2i; and a2i officials were present among others on the occasion.
In collaboration with Bangladesh Bank, Financial Institutions Department and various commercial banks, a2i has started the journey of this network with 100 women entrepreneurs of Digital Center at the initial stage. Under this network, one by one women entrepreneurs will be created in all the unions of the country. Agent banking and mobile banking activities are already being implemented through digital centers with the aim of extending financial inclusion programs to remote areas of the country and ensuring financial services for marginalized people.
Research has shown that most of the women in our country who travel outside the home to avail various banking and financial services in need feel more comfortable as women than men as service providers. Aspire to Innovate-a2i is an initiative implemented by the Cabinet Division and the Department of Information and Communication Technology to bring the country’s female population into formal financial services through greater activation of women entrepreneurs, ensuring their financial independence and ensuring various public-private services at their fingertips. It will take several activities, such as: creating women-friendly financial access points across the country under the leadership of women entrepreneurs; Ensuring financial inclusion of marginalized women through entrepreneurship; Enhancing the capacity of women entrepreneurs by providing skills enhancing training;
In this context, it can be noted that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Digital Center (former Union Information and Service Center) simultaneously in all the unions of the country on 11 November 2010. At present, more than 8,400 digital centers have been set up in Bangladesh under the initiative of a2i, where more than 16,000 entrepreneurs are working tirelessly to bring various public and private services, including financial services, to the doorsteps of the people. To ensure women’s participation in digital center activities, a male entrepreneur as well as a female entrepreneur are working in each digital center.
Women entrepreneurs have been making outstanding contribution in ensuring various services at the doorsteps of the people to achieve the goal of Digital Bangladesh. For more than a decade, grassroots women entrepreneurs have been using modern technology to provide grassroots banking services, various types of public-private services, mobile banking services, vocational training, telemedicine services, e-ticketing and e-commerce services. Women entrepreneurs have been making outstanding contributions to the implementation of the government’s agenda to ensure financial inclusion.