NEWS: Women entrepreneurs receive e-commerce training

KUALA LUMPUR: A hundred female entrepreneurs from Selangor have been trained to build an online business through the pilot-initiative of 1nita, which began at the end of last year.

These entrepreneurs now sell over 200 types of products online, including handicraft, clothes and food.

The 1nita initiative was launched by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) and .my Domain Registry, which is sole administrator for the .my domain in Malaysia.

The next phase of the initiative will see the programme extended to Malacca, Sabah, Sarawak and Kedah over the course of the year.

Shariya Zulkifli, the director of .my Domain Registry said that the plan is to train 500 women entrepreneurs in e-commerce by the end of the year.

She explained that the first objective of 1nita is to provide the skills to build an online business through training and workshops.

“The training is free and will be conducted on weekends over the course of a month. A free .my URL will also be given,” she said.

Upon completion of the training and workshops, participants will be able to develop a website, upload and update content as well as transact online.

“The second function is to build a support community of women entrepreneurs that will go on to expand the 1nita initiative through networking, training and mutual assistance,” she said.

The third purpose of 1nita is to establish a women’s e-marketplace.

Women entrepreneurs are an emerging force and are key players in the country’s economic development and growth.

According to the 2005 Census of Establishments and Enterprises, women-owned enterprises totalled 82,911, which accounts for 16% of all SMEs in Malaysia.

Those interested to apply for the programme, can go to www.1nita.my. Applicants who are PC-savvy and know how to surf the Internet will be favoured, according to a spokesman from .my Domain Registry.

Besides Mosti and .my Domain Registry, the other contributing partners of the 1nita initiative include MSC Malaysia custodian Multimedia Development Corporation, the National Council of Women’s Organisations, the e-community studies department of the National University of Malaysia and Radical Box Sdn Bhd, which provides the technical platform for website development.