The only man on the stage at the launch of the mWomen project was the CEO of the GSMA, Rob Conway.

He went straight to the most telling statistic

” Why is it that 300 million women around the world lack the mobile phone that men have? “

And on behalf of the mobile phone industry he said ”

We must change that, shouldn’t we?”.

But it’s not just a project for the mobile industry,

“This programme represents an unprecedented global public-private partnership between the mobile industry and international development community. ” he explained.

There is a unique position for mobile , he described it as “empowering.” And “The great leveller of access and enabler of opportunities. ”

That empowerment provides medical information, education and financial management. Mobiles are a fantastic tool for helping with microfinance.

He detailed the solid, concrete aim of the project

“In the next three years, we want to crack the barriers to mobile access for more than 150 million women who are deprived of mobile in developing countries. “,

and he explained the support that the GSMA has so far got in place

“We have already secured the commitment from 20 leading mobile companies to support this programme, operating in over 115 developing countries. “

The GSMA is particularly well placed to co-ordinate the mobile industry efforts, as he expanded:

We are working with organisations across the entire mobile ecosystem to provide the necessary technical assistance, value-added services and other resources in order to break down the barriers that previously have held these women back. “

While the project is complicated, the goal is not

“We want mobile to positively transform the lives of these women… forever.”