Facebook to empower entrepreneurs in SL

Facebook’s global ‘Boost Your Business’ program is now available for the youth and entrepreneurs of Sri Lanka. Recognizing the potential of the country’s small business owners, Facebook has partnered with the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka to train 10,000 small business owners across the country by the close of 2018. In the first phase, the programmed will cover Colombo, Galle, Kandy and Jaffna.

The inaugural ‘Boost Your Business’ workshop, to be organized in Colombo on 16th May, will orient, teach and train entrepreneurs’ on the effective use of Facebook to grow and monetize their businesses online.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr. Rohan Samarajiva, Chairman, ICTA said, “Our goal is to create a digitally inclusive country with a strong and vibrant economy. With Facebook’s reach and support, we will be taking a step forward in leveraging the potential of ICTs for the economic betterment of the country”.

Elaborating on the program, Ankhi Das, Public Policy Director – India, South & Central Asia – Facebook said, “In a growing economy like Sri Lanka, small and medium businesses are imperative for boosting employment and economic growth.

With this program we will empower local businesses by providing training and resources to build up a digital presence and grow their businesses beyond what the traditional offline economies offer. We believe that we can be a Net Contributor to the economy of Sri Lanka.”

‘BoostYourBusiness’ will complement the SMART Social Circles initiative by the ICTA to promote digital literacy and foster ethical and responsible use of social media. Facebook will also work with ICTA to develop a strategic roadmap for a collaborative information sharing platform for citizens under the SMART Social Circle initiative.

As more and more people turn to the web and to their phones to discover and connect with businesses, it’s crucial that small businesses have an online presence. One reason small businesses succeed, or fail is their ability to attract customers. But with limited time and limited resources, this is expensive and hard for small businesses to do.

There are more than 60 million businesses around the world who actively use Facebook Pages because they are free, easy to use, and they work well on mobile.