Gender-responsive digital and business development services

The project "Bridging the digital gender divide - Promoting the economic and digital participation of women" in Cameroon (ProDEF) is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as part of its core area "Sustainable Economic Development, Training and Employment". With a duration of 3 years (10/23 - 09/26), the project is implemented by the Gesellschaft für Internationale Entwicklung (GIZ). The module objective reads "female micro entrepreneurs in the informal sector in rural areas of the West region are enabled to participate more strongly in digital and economic potential." and it is implemented through four outputs: (1) Support services for micro-entrepreneurs; (2) Capacities of informal micro-entrepreneurs; (3) Dialogue processes on socio-cultural barriers; (4) Access to data and evidence. Output 1 works at the systemic level and aims to promote and sustainably design needs-based support services for digital and economic participation for informal micro-entrepreneurs. The impact assumption is that such support services from digital and business development organisations, which take into account the gender-specific needs of women, promote the use of technologies and women benefit more from learning opportunities, networks, mentoring and other resources. If these are designed to be needs- and context-sensitive and take into account the gender-specific needs and challenges of women in their conception, implementation and impact, they contribute to greater participation of informal micro-entrepreneurs in rural areas in digital and economic potential. Output 2 starts at the individual level and aims to strengthen the entrepreneurial and digital knowledge and skills of micro-entrepreneurs. The impact assumption is that this improvement will lead to greater utilisation of the support services developed in Output 1, e.g. for the sale and marketing of agricultural or artisanal products. Output 3 works at the cultural level and addresses socio-cultural norms and role models. It aims to improve the framework conditions in relation to gender roles for women. The impact assumption is: If socio-cultural norms are questioned through local dialogue processes and inequalities in gender perception are minimised, then small entrepreneurs in the informal sector in rural areas of the Ouest region will be able to participate more strongly in digital and economic potential. Output 4 works on a systemic level, but with a focus on structures. The output aims to improve access to data and evidence on the digital gender gap. The impact assumption is that by improving access to data and evidence on bridging the digital gender gap, needs in terms of mitigation will be better formulated and local actors, especially feminist civil society, will be strengthened in their role as intermediaries to enable small entrepreneurs in the informal sector in rural areas of the Ouest region to participate more strongly in digital and economic potential.