ZCZC
BSS-07
WOMEN-ENTREPRENEUR (Unicef feature)
Women entrepreneur advancing in online trade
DHAKA, Nov 30, 2018 (BSS) – Unlike other educated youths, Rubaiyat Urmi did not
search for a job after completing BBA and MBA from Northern University.
She embarked on an online trade through f-commerce (Facebook-commerce) by opening a
Facebook group and through this venture, she took a great challenge to establish
herself.
Urmi from her student life dreamt of establishing herself through business and
that’s why she launched her online business on a small scale. She buys clothes from
local market and develops those later.
Since many people of the country are not interested in using local products, Urmi,
the owner of f-commerce page “Fashion Passion”, is working on making party dress by
designing local clothes gorgeous.
Aleya Afrin, who works at an ad firm, started her journey towards f-commerce to be
more self-reliant. When she passed HSC, her father left the job after falling in
problems. Right at that time, Aleya had to shoulder responsibility to hold steering of
their family.
Aleya started a little job in exchange for a very small amount of salary and her
study was almost going to stop. When she was struggling to look after her family and
arrange education expenses, she thought about embarking on f-commerce business and
later launched f-commerce page named “Bibir Aina”.
After obtaining honours and master’s from the Open University, he is now doing a job
at a well-reputed firm alongside her online trade.
Though she launched her venture by borrowing Taka 25,000, there are products worth
Taka 3 lakh in “Bibir Aina” now.
Like Urmi and Aleya, hundreds of women entrepreneurs are coming to online trade and
becoming successful. The country is now flooded with Alibaba, Daraz, Ajker Deal,
Pickaboo and other e-commerce sites. The every field of the busy daily life is
technology-based and the womenfolk of the country is no exception from it.
The interest of the women in online trade is growing, and online fashion houses,
jewellery houses and other daily products are often seen. Sitting in the houses, these
female entrepreneurs are sending their products to the buyers by making phone call or
messages. They are taking their business ahead by only using social network Facebook.
Currently there are nearly 3000 Facebook pages which are listed in Bangladesh
Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) and of them, women
entrepreneurs belong to 700 pages. The advantage of the Facebook pages or groups (f-
commerce) is that business could be done in small capital even without capital.
According to the current information, there are 8,000 Facebook pages and half of
which are being run by the female entrepreneurs.
Amena Khanom Mina, examination coordinator of Gazipur BGIFT Institute of Science and
Technology (BIST), said there was dominance of the males in the ICT sector 10 to 15
years ago.
The reason was that most of those who were engaged in education, services and
business in ICT sector were males. But that scenario has changed significantly, but
slowly. The womenfolk of the country is coming forward to the ICT sector alongside
readymade garments, microcredit, medicare, teaching, research, banking and other
sectors.
Four percent people of Bangladesh’s total employment are now engaged in the ICT
sector and it is a matter of hope, though the participation of the women in it is less,
they are not lagging in qualification.
The participation of the women in the country’s ICT sector has increased remarkably
as the government has taken a number of measures in this regard.
In line with the government’s initiatives, “The District-based Women Computer
Training” project has been taken by the Jatiya Mohila Sangstha under the Ministry of
Women and Children Affairs.
The women of different countries engaged in ICT sector have been constituting
various organisations to consolidate their position and Bangladesh is not lagging
behind it.
Bangladesh Women in Technology (BWIT) is such a platform and its members are
directly or indirectly are involved in the ICT sector.
The BWIT is the apex body of the women engaged professionally in the country’s IT
sector. Its main aim is to introduce and create new scope for the women IT
professionals by uniting them.
The BWIT also encourages the young women to be involved in ICT profession and made
an entrepreneur in the field. So the women engaged in the sector could become members
of the platform easily.
There are many women in the country who cannot do work going out of houses, but want
to be self-reliant. In this case, these women are getting an opportunity to be self-
reliant by doing business sitting in houses through e-commerce.
BSS/PSB/MMA/1425HRS