KUALA LUMPUR: Maxis Bhd today launched eKelas Usahawan, a structured digital marketing programme to empower women entrepreneurs in rural communities to develop a stronger digital presence.
eKelas Usahawan comprises a series of digital marketing workshops with a practical and hands-on approach to equipping entrepreneurs with digital tools and skills to help them grow their respective business and expand their income opportunities.
The launch was officiated by Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun.
Receiving the minister at Menara Maxis at her inaugural visit were Maxis chairman Raja Tan Sri Arshad Raja Tun Uda and chief executive officer Gokhan Ogut.
Rina said the government recognises that financially empowered women in particular are key to building nations and economies.
"As such, the ministry continues to provide support for women entrepreneurs, in line with our commitment to create more income generation opportunities especially for those in the B40 segment.
"In this age of digitalisation, there are many opportunities for us to turn this commitment into reality. I am pleased to see Maxis committing their energy and resources to support women entreprenuers through eKelas Usahawan," she said at the launching ceremony today.
Ogut said at Maxis, the group's community initiatives are underlined by its passion for education and our purpose to bring together the best of technologies to enable the nation to "Always Be Ahead" in a changing world.
"We built upon what we learnt in a challenging pandemic year, to continue supporting communities and helping to drive digital adoption especially among entrepreneurs and micro-SMEs (small and medium enterprises).
"We are excited to see them leveraging the power of digitalisation.
"Hopefully, their success will create a ripple effect and inspire more women entrepreneurs whom we believe have an important role to play in the nation's economy," he said.
Over the last few years, Maxis conducted several digital marketing workshops across a few states as part of a pilot project.
The group said the response was extremely positive and seeing that the vast majority of participants were women, it decided to launch eKelas Usahawan as a dedicated women's programme.