KOWGO
An indigenous gender-friendly online Mobile Technology-Based Application for addressing the gender digital divide and for enhancing financial inclusion of formal and informal Micro and Small-scale entrepreneurs across sectors.
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Women’s financial empowerment is important, not only because it offers a route out of poverty, but also because it addresses problems of inequality, exclusion and disempowerment.
Providing access to financial services when accompanied by business training, increases women’s decision-making power in the household, improves their socio- economic status and that of their families and stimulates economic growth in the community. In essence, it’s all about respect, self- empowerment and growth that benefits ALL of society.
- Poor accounting, book-keeping, documentation and recording skills
- Poor financial literacy
- Lack of and inadequate training in entrepreneurial and business management skills
- Lack of information on business Opportunities
- High interest rates for borrowing
- Lack of access to finance and credit that would facilitate larger volumes of trade and high quality of products
- Low culture of quality assurance RESULTING LARGELY FROM lack of standardization facilities.
- Lack of access to finance and credit that would facilitate larger volumes of trade and high quality of products
- Limited knowledge, skills and opportunities in the context of increased market linkages through information and communications technology (ICT)
- Administrative, regulatory and other gendered barriers in trade, customs, technology
- Complex bureaucratic rules and procedures etc.
- Women’s financial empowerment is important, not only because it offers a route out ofpoverty, but also because it addresses problems of inequality, exclusion and disempowerment.
- Providing access to financial services when accompanied by business training, increases women’s decision-making power in the household, improves their socio- economic status and that of their families and stimulates economic growth in the community. In essence, it’s all about respect, self- empowerment and growth that benefits ALL of society.
- Established partnership with Intel
- Established Partnership with Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI)
- Established Partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI)
- Established partnership with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI)
- KOWGO showcased in New York at the UN Commission on the Status of Women event in 2018 and 2019
- KOWGO showcased at the 2019, World Trade Organization (WTO) Global Trade Review and She-Trades Global Forum in Geneva in June and Oct 2019 respectively.
- KOWGO in partnership with FMITI has been able to establish a technical support relationship with the WTO to facilitate deeper engagement of other sectors/stakeholders and provide gender responsiveness of trade policies, instruments and metrics. This also enhances KOWGO’s relevance and buy-in prospects with other countries
- KOWGO has also established partnerships with several key women groups AND COOPERATIVES
- Using the BRCK tablets provided by Intel, we have been able to test and pilot the use of the App in local languages in rural communities. With the BoI we have commenced the training for effective business and loan management for 3000 GEEP beneficiaries in three States in Nigeria to digitally manage their businesses using the KOWGO with over 1500 women signed up on the platform to date in one state AND trained. The BoI has indicated interest in scaling up from 3000 GEEP beneficiaries in three States in to 6000 GEEP beneficiaries in three States
What KOWGO does
In response to the perceived challenges and the KOWGO solution seeks to utilize an all-encompassing approach to address gender inequality, financial exclusion and open up global business opportunities for women in Micros, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The KOWGO App as an innovation act as:
