Top U.S. official joins virtual celebration of global entrepreneurship week in Manila

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Policy in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Aleisha Woodward joined a virtual panel discussion on Thursday, November 19, with the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and the Department of Trade and Industry to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) and Women’s Entrepreneurship Day.

The United States celebrates GEW every year as part of its initiatives to support, connect, and educate entrepreneurs across the world.  Earlier this year, the U.S. Embassy launched the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) in the Philippines, enhancing U.S.-Philippine economic cooperation and empowering women entrepreneurs to start and scale their businesses.

During the webinar, Deputy Assistant Secretary Woodward discussed the White House-led Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative and how W-GDP aims to empower women worldwide to fulfill their economic potential.  “We want women to prosper more in the workforce, succeed as entrepreneurs, and be enabled in the economy,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Woodward.

Norkhalila Mae Mambuay-Campong, an AWE Marawi participant, said there’s no better time to have the program than now.

“The world is in crisis and the real backbone of our economy is the micro and small enterprises.  AWE empowers women to lead sustainable enterprises that is not only focused on being financially sustainable but also morally upright when doing business. AWE levels the playing field by giving women access to trainings on leadership, entrepreneurship and confidence building,” she said.

The theme for this year’s GEW celebration is “Women Entrepreneurship During a Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities.”  The webinar is accessible at https://americanspacesph.org/u-s-embassy-talks/.