WASHINGTON, USA – The Organization of American States (OAS), through its Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI), and The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center – a non-profit committed to growing inclusion and access for entrepreneurs worldwide- agreed to work together to provide women entrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean access to resources and mentorship to help develop their businesses.
The OAS executive secretary for Integral Development, Kim Osborne, praised the cooperation agreement as an important step in providing women in developing countries with the opportunity to increase their participation in the formal economy, by equipping them with the necessary tools to survive and thrive in a world increasingly powered by digital technologies.
Secretary Osborne added: “Through capacity building, mentoring, and networking with stakeholders from the highest levels of business innovation, our hope is that the program will deliver on its promise of building sustainable livelihoods for women and in so doing, accelerate economic recovery in the region.”
Executive director of the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, Nicola Corzine, said:
“Today is a day for celebration and expansion. Expansion of knowledge, expansion of community and expansion of support networks. The Center is honored to announce a partnership with the Organization of American States (OAS), which brings together all 35 independent states of the Americas, to help support women business owners as they define, set, and achieve business milestones in deep peer-based learning cohorts.”
The signing of the agreement took place within the framework of the Small Business Administration’s Women’s Business Summit, taking place virtually on March 28 and 29.
The agreement provides for collaborative efforts in the delivery of free business development resources and mentorship for the promotion of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) growth and innovation in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region through support for the OAS-led Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) Program, the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Program and other relevant initiatives undertaken by the Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI).