It was extremely interesting to read the report from Candice Silverstone of Deloitte Consulting explaining the potential women have for businesses as both customers and leaders.

Women may well be the dominant source of economic growth in the near future – and organisations that are able to capitalise on the roles women play as economic actors will most likely have a competitive advantage as the world pulls out of the global recession. Deloitte research suggests that investment in women is the next source of substantial economic growth, for firms and countries, with direct correlations between increases in women in the workforce and increases in national GDP.

This is the same line of thinking that has propelled the initial analysis of the GSMA mWomen Business Case: MNOs can incorporate women into their distribution networks by enabling them to participate in direct selling networks. This profits the MNO as it allows them to tap into hard-to-reach markets. It also empowers the female direct sellers, improving their income opportunities and allowing them to develop entrepreneurial skills that can benefit their families and wider communities. You can read more from Karim, our GSMA mWomen Business Manager, about bringing women into the value chain here and there is a fantastic example of a direct selling network in the case study from Vodafone Qatar’s Al Johara project here.