At least 25,000 more women in 44 districts of the country will receive training on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and each of them will be provided with laptop by the government for free.
Earlier under the 'She Power Project: Empowerment of Women with Technology (Phase-I)', over 36,000 women were given training facilities and ICT equipment as well.
According to sources, the government will provide women with the facilities through the Planning Commission under the project 'She Power Project: Empowerment of Women with Technology (Phase II)'. Tk 250 crore and 2 lakh has been estimated for the implementation of the project.
Officials concerned said if the project is implemented, it will ensure sustainable empowerment of women through self-employed and entrepreneurs by enhancing their skill. As per the project proposal, women in at least three upazilas, including the district headquarters of 43 districts will get the training and laptop. Besides, only the Peerganj upazila in Rangpur district will be included in the project.
Therefore, 25,000 women in 130 upazilas under 44 districts will get the facilities. Those women will be given training on technologies for five months.
At the end of the training, a month-long mentorship programme will be arranged for all the trained women. Moreover, 46 seminars will be held in two phases in 44 districts.
An official of the Planning Commission said that the proposal in this regard would be placed in the next meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). If the proposal is approved, the implementation will start from the 2024.
The project proposal states the government has announced ‘Vision-2041’ to transform Bangladesh into a developed country by 2041. One of the ways to implement this is to bring Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) services to the doorsteps of the people. Since women are the half of the total population, the involvement of women in the economy is essential to move the country forward. It is possible to accelerate the development of the national economy by creating employment and empowerment of women by developing their skill, capacity and involvement in the ICT. By acquiring skills with training in the IT sector, women can become self-reliant by earning at home. In this sector, women have the opportunity to work as self-employed and entrepreneurs.
Mosammat Nasima Begum, a member of the Department of Socio-Economic Infrastructure and also in-charge of the project, said it will be possible to make women self-employed through this project by raising their skill.
The project will play a role in ensuring their sustainable empowerment as entrepreneurs. So, the project is eligible for approval, she added.
