The U.S. Consulate General Kolkata, in partnership with Contact Base, and in association with Mizoram Consultancy Group hosted a multi stakeholder regional consultation to promote women-led business at the Aijal Club in Aizawl, Mizoram on Tuesday .Since 2021, Consulate Kolkata and Contact Base’sWomen Wielding the Workplace (WWW) initiative is working to develop support networks (www.women4economy.net) to enable greater participation of women in the workforce in South Asia with a focus on India, Nepal and Bangladesh. This was the fifth meeting this year after Guwahati, Dimapur, Kolkata and Siliguri as part of this initiative.

At the program, Juan Clar, the Deputy Director of the American Center in Kolkata said, “In the United States, we have  taken significant steps in recent years to increase women's footprint in the workforce.  We have invested in education, businesses have hired more women, and in many cases,have increased flexible work arrangements and paid family leave options .  As a result, more women are entering the workforce, and they are also advancing to leadership positions in greater numbers. That being said, there is still more work to be done.”

The event highlighted focused on strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem by connecting women entrepreneurs with sector specific experts and mentors. The sessions created awareness on the existing selling channels using digital technologies, supply chain, infrastructure support and financial linkages for local women entrepreneurs. Local participants discussed the challenges faced by businesses in Mizoram, including infrastructural limitations, interconnectivity gaps, and the need for sustainable development to balance economic growth with environmental conservation. Some of the event’s speakers highlighted that the unique confluence of cultural richness and local traditional industries positions Mizoram as a distinctive and promising business hub.

A total of 25 women entrepreneurs participated in the event to gain business insights and get mentored by notable experts from Rang De (peer to peer lending platform), Association for Supply Chain Professionals (ASCP), Zoram Mega Food Park, Mizoram Food Processing, Research & Training Centre, Mizoram University and Chicken Wagon (Enterprise from Meghalaya).   These entrepreneurs represented various sectors including handicrafts, food processing, skin care, handloom fabrics, among others. Four established women entrepreneurs shared their journeys and success stories to inspire other entrepreneurs. Experts from Rang De shared on the support they can provide regarding financial linking the entrepreneurs to grow their business. Experts in supply chain management and food processing briefed the participants on existing networks and infrastructural facilities for the women entrepreneurs.