GSMA Connected Women Commitment Initiative

Mobile operators are working to reduce the gender gap in mobile internet and mobile money services
In an increasingly connected world, women are being left behind. Across low- and middle-income countries women are 7% less likely than men to own a mobile phone, 19% less likely to use mobile internet, and 28% less likely to use mobile money. These significant gender gaps are preventing women from reaping the full benefits of mobile technology.
Closing the mobile gender gap is critically important and can deliver significant socio-economic benefits to underserved women, their communities and the economy. We estimate that closing the gender gap in low- and middle-income countries between 2023 and 2030 represents a $230bn revenue opportunity for the mobile industry. When women thrive, societies, businesses and economies thrive.
Mobile operators are driving an effort, with support from the Connected Women team, to reduce the gender gap in mobile internet and mobile money services by making formal Commitments to increase the proportion of women in their mobile internet and/or mobile money service customer base.
Connected Women Commitment Partners
2020 – 2023
20 organisations have made or extended their Commitment to improve digital and/or financial inclusion for women:

Grameenphone

Indosat Ooredoo
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Indosat-Ooredoo-Indonesia-1080x300-1.png" text="Indosat Ooredoo"]
Besides benefiting customers through better products and services, many of Indosat Ooredoo’s social initiatives helped to empower the Indonesian society at large, including women and girls.
Since 2012, Indosat Ooredoo’s women’s empowerment programme, INSPERA has benefited thousands of underprivileged women, female students, teachers and programming developers, by providing them with access to education, health service and economic empowerment powered by their leadership in digital technology.
With the launch of SheHacks in 2020 as Indosat Ooredoo’s newest women's empowerment programme that focuses on realising technology-based innovation for Indonesian women in women’s economy, education and health, Indosat Ooredoo renewed its commitment to increase the proportion of women connected to mobile internet in Indonesia from 46% to 48% by 2023 through collaboration with GSMA Connected Women.

Empowering Indonesian women
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX1c7UWm-XM Indosat Ooredoo believes that empowering women through mobile connectivity can improve the welfare of Indonesian society at large. This is one of the bases for launching SheHacks in 2020, an innovation programme for Indonesian women to reduce gender disparities in the economy, education and women's health by empowering their capacities using digital technology. Through this CSR programme, Indosat Ooredoo targets to empower 1000 Indonesian women with buddy and mentoring programmes to turn their problems into viable solutions.

Jazz
[heroimage image="https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Pakistan-2-women-1080x300-1.png" text="Jazz"]
As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Jazz has committed to increase the proportion of women by 8% in its mobile internet customer base by the end of 2023.
Jazz is Pakistan’s leading digital operator with around 75 million subscribers including 38 million 4G users, as of June 2022. It operates the country’s number one fintech app, JazzCash, with over 15.2 million monthly active users, offers the strongest digital services portfolio, and provides ICT-based solutions to over 30,000 enterprises under Jazz Business. With an investment of over USD 10.2 billion to date, Jazz is one of the largest private sector organisations in the country committed to forging a digitally inclusive and progressive Pakistan.
“Digital access is an essential need in today’s world. The digital gender gap is wide but there is a consensus that this digital emergency needs to be addressed immediately. Digital inclusion has the potential to bridge many of the inequalities we see today as it provides access to health, financial, and other life-enhancing services which in turn can improve lives and livelihood.
For women to lead Pakistan into the future, empowering them digitally is a fundamental requirement and this is exactly what Jazz holds as a core philosophy when designing products, services, employee programs, and sustainability initiatives.”
- Aamir Ibrahim, CEO, Jazz
[video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3xHFAW11s8M"]
Pakistan has some of the widest mobile gender gaps; women are 35% less likely than men to own a mobile device and 38% less likely to use mobile internet. Addressing the affordability barrier to mobile phone ownership in Pakistan, especially for women, Jazz was the first local mobile operator to offer 4G smart feature phones at very affordable prices starting from PKR 4,500. Upon its purchase, users are provided free access to social media sites and free Jazz to Jazz calls during the first three months.
Being the go-to digital lifestyle partner of Pakistan, Jazz launched a campaign on International Women’s Day 2022 showcasing what women can achieve if they are digitally empowered. Some of the use cases depicted in the campaign included running businesses remotely, safe access to education, access to telehealth etc. The company has received three silver awards in the last year on various campaigns that were based on the core message of awareness around digital inclusivity.
Jazz sustainability initiatives have a core focus on digitally enabling the youth, particularly women. It has programmes in place to enhance digital literacy among girls, promote female led enterprises in the startup ecosystem, and upskill women on digital skills.
[button text="Back to Commitment Initiative page" link="https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/connected-women/the-commitment/" colour="red" icon="back" newtab="no"]

JazzCash
[heroimage image="https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Jazzcash-1080x300-1.png" text="JazzCash"]
As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, JazzCash has committed to increase the proportion of women in their mobile money customer base by 2023.
JazzCash is Pakistan’s No.1 mobile account platform, aiming to provide convenience in financial services for the customers in Pakistan. The platform provides variety of services including a complete mobile bank account for cash deposit, withdrawal, fund transfers and digital payments, as well as GSM services including mobile top-ups, internet bundles, etc. In addition to these, customers can also pay traffic challan, purchase movie/travel tickets, make school fee payments, utility bill payments, QR payments and avail digital loans. These services can be availed by accessing the JazzCash USSD channel, mobile application which is designed on the principle of Human Centricity and the retail agent network spread all over Pakistan.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/_k4_qxoA5sY
“We are delighted to have this partnership with the GSMA Connected Women Commitment Initiative which has a global impact on the women of partnering countries. As part of this initiative, JazzCash has committed to increase the proportion of women in our mobile money customer base in Pakistan.
Women are 50% of the population in Pakistan, if not more. We intend to include them in our JazzCash base which stands at roughly 17% by engaging with them in targeted projects such as Guddi Bajji and offering them tailored propositions through JazzCash mobile account. The intent is to enable them technologically, digitally and financially so they can not only support themselves and their families, but also have an impact on the economic prosperity of the nation.”
– Erwan Gelebart, CEO, JazzCash
The Guddi Baji Project


Mobilink Microfinance Bank
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mobilink-Pakistan-2-1080x300-1.png" text="Mobilink Microfinance Bank"]
As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Mobilink Microfinance Bank Ltd. has committed to increase its female customer base by 15% by the end of 2025, which would represent roughly 600,000 additional women customers.
Mobilink Microfinance Bank Ltd. (MMBL) is providing banking services to over 42 million registered users including 16+ million monthly active customers across Pakistan. With a hybrid model that combines traditional microfinance with mobile/digital banking technologies, the bank now operates with over 100 branches and more than 200,000 branchless banking agents. It provides a USSD (GSM) based digital channel offering savings, micro-enterprise (MSME) loans, small housing loans, remittances, collection (utility bills and loan installments), mobile wallets, insurance, G2P, B2B & B2P payments; thus, playing a leading role in the promotion of financial inclusion.
Mobilink Microfinance Bank is part of the VEON group, a global digital operator that provides converged connectivity and online services across seven countries. As part of its digital operator strategy, VEON is transforming people’s lives, creating opportunities for greater digital inclusion, and driving economic growth across countries that are home to more than 8% of the world’s population.
"2023 will see us expanding our horizons further and being the binding force that strengthens the framework of our Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) industry - especially the ones led by women. We assess significant merits in the combination of digital financial solutions and the enterprising spirit of the MSME sector and believe the outcome of the same could do wonders. Our award-winning Women Inspirational Network (WIN) program is effectively paving the way for a fairer, equal and more inclusive economy and has been acknowledged and appreciated by various entities, including the International Labour Organization, the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and the State Bank of Pakistan. WIN's positive reception in the market is a reminder of the contribution of hundreds of female workers across all tiers of our organization who have taken the lead in inculcating a culture of diversity, inclusion and equality and we are determined to do lots more through the GSMA commitment."
- Ghazanfar Azzam, President & CEO, MMBL
Under WIN, exclusive female-oriented product offerings have been curated for the masses, such as Bint-e-Hawwa Current Account and Bint-e-Hawwa Business Loan, witnessing a 23% improved active female borrower ratio by Q4 2022. Moreover, 1000 female entrepreneurs were upskilled in essential digital and financial skills, and their female staff grew by 100% last year.
Additionally, through their premium digital financial services platform, DOST, an exclusive Learning Management System is also embedded in the female variant of the application for maximum literacy.
[button text="Back to Commitment Initiative page" link="https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/connected-women/the-commitment/" colour="red" icon="back" newtab="no"]

MTN Mobile Money Ghana
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cw18.png" text="MTN Mobile Money Ghana"]
As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, MTN Mobile Money has committed to increase the proportion of women in their MoMo Pay customer base to 40% by 2023.
MTN Mobile Money is currently running several initiatives aimed at stimulating the adoption and usage of Mobile Money to facilitate payments. One of the key initiatives we are focusing on is the use of our payment solution known as MoMo Pay to facilitate everyday payment for goods and services. We are targeting women in female dominated segments including general goods market, petty traders, wholesale and retail corridors, females within the farming value chain and largely any activity which involves buying and selling. The goal is to get them to use MoMo Pay, leverage on our varying products and services to manage their daily interactions and overall improve financial literacy.
[video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LgibkOMUYNc"]
“We at MTN Mobile Money are elated to be part of the GSMA Connected Women Initiative. Globally, females make up a little over half of the world’s population, but their contribution to economic activity and well-being is far below its potential, resulting in socio-economic consequences. Women play a pivotal role in contributing to the growth of the economy, and we are therefore committed to ensuring that we bridge the gap in women participation in financial services.”
- Eli Hini, General Manager, Mobile Financial Service
[video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/https://youtu.be/embed/7QNCHFJm454"]
[button text="Back to Commitment Initiative page" link="https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/connected-women/the-commitment/" colour="red" icon="back" newtab="no"]

Ooredoo Maldives
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ooredoo-Maldives-Header.png" text="Ooredoo Maldives"] As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Ooredoo Maldives has committed to increase the proportion of women with access to mobile internet and mobile money by 2023.



Safaricom PLC
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Safaricom-CP-Web-Banner2.png" text="Safaricom PLC"] As part of the Connected Women Programme’s Commitment Partner initiative, Safaricom has committed to increase the number of women who use their mobile money service from 46% to 50% and their data services from 47% to 50% by 2023.
[video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V1X7F2LWUoQ"] “At Safaricom, we believe that a more equitable and just society is not possible if all members are not present. In line with SDG 10 of reducing inequalities, we are committed to protecting and promoting the rights of women.

[video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/210Zzv-A7nE"]
Lipa Mdogo Mdogo
In line with Safaricom’s purpose of “Transforming Lives” and their goal to achieve 20 million customers with LTE devices by 2023, there was need to spur smartphone acceleration by addressing affordability. In 2020, Safaricom launched Lipa Mdogo Mdogo in partnership with Android, which empowers eligible customers access to the internet and the world of possibilities through a smartphone that they can pay-as-they-use on a daily or weekly basis.
- 950,000 customers have picked up the product, 51% of whom were women. More than 50% have completed paying for the device.
- 94% of Data Active Neon Ray Pro devices are attached to the network.

Turkcell
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cw14.png" text="Turkcell"]
Turkcell has committed to increase the proportion of women in their mobile internet customer base and Turkcell Women platform by 2023. This will help in closing the notable mobile internet gender gap in the country. Connected Women field research revealed that a larger proportion of female mobile phone owners in Turkey reported never having used mobile internet – 37% vs. 28% of male phone owners.
Turkcell Bizce is the women platform that supports equal opportunity, personal development and economic engagement for women. The usage of Turkcell Bizce is data free, enabling a better customer experience with new app design.


Ufone
[heroimage image="https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ufone-1080x300-1.png" text="Ufone"] Ufone 4G is at the forefront of supporting women’s empowerment in the country, hence, the Pakistani company is committed to significantly expanding its female customer base. Through its commitment with the GSMA, Ufone 4G aims to bring high-speed connectivity to more Pakistani women to enhance their participation in the mainstream socio-economic system. Furthermore, the company is focused on reducing the gender gap in access to connectivity and helping women leverage the Internet to explore opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Ufone 4G is a Pakistani Cellular Company with its presence in all the major cities of Pakistan, along with a comprehensive coverage across all major towns, villages, and tehsil headquarters of the country. The company employs more than 3,850 people and operates with a network of more than 320 franchises and company-owned customer service centers along with a distribution network of 150,000 outlets nationwide. Moreover, Ufone 4G was declared as Pakistan’s No. 1 Voice and Data network in Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA), ‘Mobile Networks Benchmark Report for 2022’ recently. The company maintains exceptional reputation for successful implementation of innovative telecom technologies catering to all sorts of customer needs. "At Ufone 4G, we believe that everyone is different, and in our view, that’s a good thing. No matter who U are, our shared vision for Ufone’s future will tie us together. We want our people to bring their best qualities into the Ufone 4G Family and by giving them the tools for learning, with freedom and opportunities to make a difference, we are sure to succeed."

Initiatives
- Ufone 4G introduced an industry-first Smart code *765# so that women customers can receive mobile top-ups without having to share their phone numbers with retailers.
- Ufone 4G donated its flagship Wifi internet devices to the participants of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Women Civic Internship Program to support their pursuit of personal and professional growth.
- Promotion of Online & Digital Recharge and Product Subscriptions providing convenient access options for females (Website, My Ufone App, UPaisa App, 3rd Party e-commerce apps)
- Ufone 4G launched Best Morning special daily data Offer from 9 am to 12 pm so that females can get maximum benefit from this offer

Wave Money
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/WaveMoney-CP-Page-Header-1080x300-1.png" text="Wave Money"]
As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Wave Money has committed to continue empowering women in Myanmar by extending their Commitment to increase the proportion of women in their mobile money customer base.
Wave Money is the leading mobile financial services provider operating with over 54,000 Wave shops across all 14 states of Myanmar, covering over 89% of the country and a customer base of more than 35 million. They have a footprint in 85% of rural areas including very remote locations of the country. This has allowed customers to move money from and to almost any place in Myanmar. Remittance (cash in – cash out) service remains one of Wave Money's leading products but a key contributor to growth is their mobile wallet, WavePay application, which can be used not only to send and receive money but also to buy airtime, settle utility bills and for merchant payments as well as to donate.
Equity lives in our DNA
Wave Money continues its commitment to bring more equity to the communities enabling them to get connected with financial technology. Acting inclusively and respecting diversity is part of the core value of Wave Money which is deeply rooted in the DNA of every employee in the organisation. In Wave Money, more women participation in the workforce and leadership is the main driver of innovation. It paves the way for women-led and people-centric workplace culture, and advanced financial inclusion especially among the unbanked population. [video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bFQ9JPCWOkw"]
“One of the really interesting insights of Myanmar as a country is that senior women in a household tend to run the money. We want to introduce more women to our digital product.”
- Brad Jones, CEO of Wave MoneyWave Money in partnership with MYANWEN and the GSMA
An MOU Signing Ceremony of a tri-party agreement took place between Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs Network (MYANWEN), the GSMA and Wave Money to further identify scalable approaches to accelerate digital and financial inclusion for female micro-entrepreneurs. With the vision of MYANWEN to support the socio-economic development of Myanmar by providing guidance to women-led businesses and high-achieving Myanmar women entrepreneurs, this partnership will reinforce women’s access to various financial institutions. As a Commitment Partner of the GSMA Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Wave Money will be empowering women micro-entrepreneurs, women agents and driving gender equality in low and middle-income households. These collaborations embody Wave Money's dedication to driving economic empowerment and gender equality, and to ultimately bring positive social impact and enhance capacity among women in terms of entrepreneurship and effective financial management.
a
2016 – 2020
The following organisations made formal Commitments to increase the number of women in their mobile internet and/or mobile money customer base by 2020:

AirtelTigo Rwanda
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cw11.png" text="AirtelTigo Rwanda"] As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Airtel-Tigo Rwanda has committed to increase the proportion of women in their mobile money customer base in Rwanda from 39 per cent to 45 per cent by 2020.
BRIDGING THE MOBILE MONEY GENDER GAP IN RWANDA
“When Tigo Rwanda signed the Connected Women Commitment Initiative early last year it was because we believed that increasing the number of women using Mobile Financial Services would in turn allow them to improve their quality of life, that of their families and that of their communities. As part of our GSMA commitments, on 8, March we launched the $65,000 Tigo Women Entrepreneurship Fund. This Fund, which aims to provide startup capital to more than 300 women from across the country to open mobile money businesses, is linked to two key principles – outreach and sustainability. We see these principles as critical to developing sound financial inclusion capable of serving rural communities and enabling women to improve their economic activities and livelihoods”.Airtel-Tigo Rwanda is committed to increasing the number of women using mobile financial services from 39 per cent of total users to 45 per cent by 2020. Women take on a significant amount of responsibility for their families’ financial management, including, emergency payments, remittances and daily domestic management; in fact women direct up to 90 per cent of their income to their families and communities. Increasing women access to mobile financial services will in turn allow them to improve their quality of life, that of their families’ and that of their communities. Airtel-Tigo Rwanda's target is to deliver financial inclusion across the country and we cannot achieve this without women. Read our blog post on how Airtel-Tigo Rwanda is empowering women agents.
EMPOWERING WOMEN AGENTS
Research has highlighted that lack of trust in digital financial services was because of the level of customer service the women were getting from male agents. The Tigo Women Entrepreneurship fund was set up to recruit, train and offer initial funding to women so that they could become Tigo Cash agents. To date, Airtel-Tigo Rwanda has empowered over 70 women as Tigo cash agents and the impact on the women’s lives and businesses is beginning to show. Airtel-Tigo Rwanda targets to have more than 1,200 women as agents within 2017. [video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4mZcqsPVM8s"]
Dialog Axiata PLC
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cw16.png" text="Dialog Axiata PLC"] Dialog Axiata supports the GSMA’s Connected Women initiative by committing to increase the percentage of women using mobile internet and mobile money services within its subscriber base.

DIALOG’S APPROACH AND INITIATIVES
Since its inception, Dialog Axiata has developed and practiced a Philosophy of Inclusion. This philosophy is firmly ingrained in the company’s core values that ultimately translate into sustainable and responsible business models. The company’s 4As Philosophy of service Availability, Affordability, Applicability and Affinity is an extension of its inclusion strategy, which recognises the importance of supporting traditionally marginalized groups to gain access to digital and mobile money services by minimising entry barriers. As the number one mobile service provider in the country, Dialog Axiata acknowledges the numerous significant roles women play in society. However, society tends to overlook their immense and valuable contribution, and they are often marginalised due to lack of self-advocacy and their selfless nature; always putting others’ needs before their own. The company firmly believes that it is of utmost importance to help women improve their lives by increasing their access to digital and financial services because when women are educated and empowered, the social and economic benefits are felt throughout the community. Dialog Axiata’s sustainability initiatives are backed by continuous research that helps to develop well-informed strategies. This research highlighted the marked differences in the ways that men and women consume services, confirming that a generic strategy doesn’t always produce the best results. This has resulted in the company striving to break any entry barriers faced by women by taking an inclusive approach to relevant products and services. One example is the 5-Star Partner Programme designed to extend the company’s reach in rural areas. A community study revealed that women in Sri Lanka — particularly those in the more rural, conservative areas — feel more comfortable approaching and interacting with female rather than male retailers with regards to mobile-related queries and activities. To break this barrier, the programme integrates women into the rural retail chain by providing them with the necessary knowledge and training and thereby increasing women’s accessibility to mobile services. ‘Secret Code’ is yet another service designed to break barriers for women. It was developed to provide customers — especially females — the much needed confidentiality when using their personal mobile number during reloads or third party Star Points transactions. Another example is the launch of an island-wide ICT awareness programme targeting rural women. This is directly linked to the GSMA Connected Women initiative and aims to reduce the gender gap in mobile and internet usage in the country. The programme, conducted via a series of workshops, intends to educate women on the benefits of using the internet for personal development and entrepreneurial opportunities, as well as cyber safety. This is directly linked to the GSMA Connected Women initiative and aims to reduce the gender gap in mobile and internet usage in the country. The programme, conducted via a series of workshops, intends to educate women on the benefits of using the internet for personal development and entrepreneurial opportunities, as well as cyber safety. In an effort to minimise the digital divide faced by women, and make products and services more relevant to them, Dialog Axiata launched the first ever portal dedicated to women. The portal offers access to a myriad of services relevant to women such as health tips, diet & lifestyle tips and emergency alerts —an innovative service which allows one to alert a group of trusted loved ones during an emergency. Agriculture is an important sector in the Sri Lankan economy making it a significant source of employment. Dialog Axiata recognized the need to support the local farming community and launched the ‘Govi Mithuru’ service in 2015, to share information via mobiles regarding land preparation, cultivation, crop protection and harvesting. The service was made relevant to women too by including customised and timely advice regarding home gardening, improved family nutrition and other related topics. [video youtube ="<iframe https://www.youtube.com/embed/AiseeAHm1qE"]
Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (Digi)
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Digi-banner-resized1.jpg" text="Digi Telecommunications
Sdn Bhd (Digi)"]
As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Digi has committed to increase the proportion of women in their mobile internet customer base in Malaysia from 42 per cent to 47 per cent by 2020.
Bridging the digital gender gap will help ensure these women can be active participants and contributors in the digital economy.

DIGI'S WANITA ERA DIGITAL INITIATIVE
The Digi Wanita Era Digital initiative helps address the common barriers of women going digital by introducing them to basic, safe usage of smart devices and the internet, along with good reasons to use them. Digi’s ambition is to see every Malaysian woman connected and empowered.
[video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5Ir_otgB8-Y"] Watch the video to discover how the Digi Wanita Era Digital initiative, in partnership with the Malaysian government, is training women on how to use mobile internet and how it can be used to improve their lives and their businesses.
[video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kJP8S3_8io4"] Learn how the Digi Wanita Era Digital Initiative has helped Madam Maszni’s shoe production business in Malacca to reach more customers.

Grameenphone

Indosat Ooredoo
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Indosat-Ooredoo-Indonesia-1080x300-1.png" text="Indosat Ooredoo"]
Besides benefiting customers through better products and services, many of Indosat Ooredoo’s social initiatives helped to empower the Indonesian society at large, including women and girls.
Since 2012, Indosat Ooredoo’s women’s empowerment programme, INSPERA has benefited thousands of underprivileged women, female students, teachers and programming developers, by providing them with access to education, health service and economic empowerment powered by their leadership in digital technology.
With the launch of SheHacks in 2020 as Indosat Ooredoo’s newest women's empowerment programme that focuses on realising technology-based innovation for Indonesian women in women’s economy, education and health, Indosat Ooredoo renewed its commitment to increase the proportion of women connected to mobile internet in Indonesia from 46% to 48% by 2023 through collaboration with GSMA Connected Women.

Empowering Indonesian women
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX1c7UWm-XM Indosat Ooredoo believes that empowering women through mobile connectivity can improve the welfare of Indonesian society at large. This is one of the bases for launching SheHacks in 2020, an innovation programme for Indonesian women to reduce gender disparities in the economy, education and women's health by empowering their capacities using digital technology. Through this CSR programme, Indosat Ooredoo targets to empower 1000 Indonesian women with buddy and mentoring programmes to turn their problems into viable solutions.

Ooredoo Maldives
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Ooredoo-Maldives-Header.png" text="Ooredoo Maldives"] As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Ooredoo Maldives has committed to increase the proportion of women with access to mobile internet and mobile money by 2023.



Safaricom PLC
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Safaricom-CP-Web-Banner2.png" text="Safaricom PLC"] As part of the Connected Women Programme’s Commitment Partner initiative, Safaricom has committed to increase the number of women who use their mobile money service from 46% to 50% and their data services from 47% to 50% by 2023.
[video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V1X7F2LWUoQ"] “At Safaricom, we believe that a more equitable and just society is not possible if all members are not present. In line with SDG 10 of reducing inequalities, we are committed to protecting and promoting the rights of women.

[video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/210Zzv-A7nE"]
Lipa Mdogo Mdogo
In line with Safaricom’s purpose of “Transforming Lives” and their goal to achieve 20 million customers with LTE devices by 2023, there was need to spur smartphone acceleration by addressing affordability. In 2020, Safaricom launched Lipa Mdogo Mdogo in partnership with Android, which empowers eligible customers access to the internet and the world of possibilities through a smartphone that they can pay-as-they-use on a daily or weekly basis.
- 950,000 customers have picked up the product, 51% of whom were women. More than 50% have completed paying for the device.
- 94% of Data Active Neon Ray Pro devices are attached to the network.

Tigo El Salvador
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cw8.png" text="Tigo El Salvador"] As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Tigo El Salvador has committed to increase the proportion of women in their Mobile Internet customer base in El Salvador from 48% to 50% by 2020. TIGO El Salvador is committed to equalize the use of the Internet among its male and female clients by 2020. To achieve this, TIGO will implement initiatives to contribute to the closing of the digital and financial gap in the country. One of such initiatives is “Salvadorans connected for development” which aims to train approximately 100,000 women in how to use the Internet in their daily lives, including awareness of the risks of using the Internet for children and young people, and how to use Tigo Money, as a mobile electronic wallet, for their empowerment.
The project, in which TIGO will invest $ 112,000 from 2017 to 2020, has two main executors: El Salvador del Mundo Foundation (FUSALMO) and World Vision. With the support of FUSALMO, more than 35,000 mothers, heads of households and community leaders will be trained through Corporate Responsibility programs that TIGO is driving at a national level. The NGO World Vision will train 56,000 women from all over the country, starting in 2017 with 9 municipalities (San Julián, Guaymango, Jujutla, Acajutla, Caluco, Armenia, Tepetitán, San Francisco Menéndez and Soyapango) where they have presence with their programs. This initiative will also be supported with strategic business actions, such as increasing the penetration of Tigo Shop among women, a digital channel aimed to facilitate balance check and purchase of internet packages. As well, as increasing the penetration of smartphones among women.



Tigo Guatemala
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cw10.png" text="Tigo Guatemala"]
As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Tigo Guatemala has committed to design strategies aiming to increase the proportion of women in their Mobile Internet customer base in Guatemala from 46% to 50% by 2020.
To reach this goal, Tigo works in partnership with SHEVA, an organization that is dedicated to teach girls and women on how to use the internet and mobile tools to improve their lives, this through three focus areas: entrepreneurship, education and personal growth. The initiative targets economically active women between the ages of 15 and 40.
“Women are a fundamental pillar for the development of societies. This type of initiative allows us to empower them and put technological tools at their disposal, in order to help them and their families have a better future.”
Melanie Reimers, Director of Corporate Responsibility, Tigo Guatemala
Read more about how the Tigo Guatemala and SHEVA partnership is empowering young women in this EduMe blog.

Turkcell
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cw14.png" text="Turkcell"]
Turkcell has committed to increase the proportion of women in their mobile internet customer base and Turkcell Women platform by 2023. This will help in closing the notable mobile internet gender gap in the country. Connected Women field research revealed that a larger proportion of female mobile phone owners in Turkey reported never having used mobile internet – 37% vs. 28% of male phone owners.
Turkcell Bizce is the women platform that supports equal opportunity, personal development and economic engagement for women. The usage of Turkcell Bizce is data free, enabling a better customer experience with new app design.


Vodafone Idea Limited
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Vodafone-Idea-Hero-Image3.png" text="Vodafone Idea Limited"]
As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Vodafone Idea Limited has committed to increase the proportion of women in their mobile money customer base and in their mobile internet customer base by 2020 in India.
Vodafone's Initiatives
India has over a billion mobile connections and almost half of the population is women. Yet, fewer than 18% of mobile subscribers are women. Furthermore, women in India are less likely than men to have access to a smartphone and most women use a feature phone or a basic phone.
Vodafone Sakhi, a first-of-its kind mobile-based safety service, is designed exclusively for women. A variety of features including Emergency Alerts, Emergency Balance and Private Number Recharge provide free safety measures through the mobile connection to women customers using Vodafone pre-paid and post-paid services across the country. It works on all types of mobile phones, even without any balance or mobile internet.
Empowering Women in India
Research in India has highlighted that safety is a huge concern for women. Vodafone Idea launched Sakhi to respond to women’s needs and enhance their agency. To date, Sakhi has reached millions of women across India. Analysis of customers data pre- and post-Sakhi adoption shows that, compared to non-subscribers, Sakhi subscribers have higher loyalty to Vodafone and higher average revenue per user.
[video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jq5WUPcLaKg"]
“Safety and security of women is a burning issue in this country and this makes for a very compelling case as to how we could look at using technology to secure the safety of women and empower them so they feel confident as they step out of their houses.”
- Avneesh Khosla, Operations Director - Marketing, Vodafone Idea Limited
Click here to download the Vodafone Sakhi case study.

Wave Money
[heroimage image="/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/WaveMoney-CP-Page-Header-1080x300-1.png" text="Wave Money"]
As part of the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Wave Money has committed to continue empowering women in Myanmar by extending their Commitment to increase the proportion of women in their mobile money customer base.
Wave Money is the leading mobile financial services provider operating with over 54,000 Wave shops across all 14 states of Myanmar, covering over 89% of the country and a customer base of more than 35 million. They have a footprint in 85% of rural areas including very remote locations of the country. This has allowed customers to move money from and to almost any place in Myanmar. Remittance (cash in – cash out) service remains one of Wave Money's leading products but a key contributor to growth is their mobile wallet, WavePay application, which can be used not only to send and receive money but also to buy airtime, settle utility bills and for merchant payments as well as to donate.
Equity lives in our DNA
Wave Money continues its commitment to bring more equity to the communities enabling them to get connected with financial technology. Acting inclusively and respecting diversity is part of the core value of Wave Money which is deeply rooted in the DNA of every employee in the organisation. In Wave Money, more women participation in the workforce and leadership is the main driver of innovation. It paves the way for women-led and people-centric workplace culture, and advanced financial inclusion especially among the unbanked population. [video youtube="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bFQ9JPCWOkw"]
“One of the really interesting insights of Myanmar as a country is that senior women in a household tend to run the money. We want to introduce more women to our digital product.”
- Brad Jones, CEO of Wave MoneyWave Money in partnership with MYANWEN and the GSMA
An MOU Signing Ceremony of a tri-party agreement took place between Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs Network (MYANWEN), the GSMA and Wave Money to further identify scalable approaches to accelerate digital and financial inclusion for female micro-entrepreneurs. With the vision of MYANWEN to support the socio-economic development of Myanmar by providing guidance to women-led businesses and high-achieving Myanmar women entrepreneurs, this partnership will reinforce women’s access to various financial institutions. As a Commitment Partner of the GSMA Connected Women Commitment Initiative, Wave Money will be empowering women micro-entrepreneurs, women agents and driving gender equality in low and middle-income households. These collaborations embody Wave Money's dedication to driving economic empowerment and gender equality, and to ultimately bring positive social impact and enhance capacity among women in terms of entrepreneurship and effective financial management.