The Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund will disburse $1.76 million in grants to selected women-led businesses in Nigeria, Mongolia and the Dominican Republic in the first quarter of 2026. The funding is designed to help women entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses through digital trade and international exports.
The initiative comes ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March and forms part of wider efforts to support women-owned enterprises that often struggle to access finance and global market opportunities.
A total of 219 women-led businesses across the three countries will benefit from the first round of grants. The programme combines financial support with training, mentorship and technical assistance aimed at helping women entrepreneurs grow sustainable businesses and participate more actively in digital commerce.
In Nigeria, the largest number of beneficiaries will receive support. A total of 141 women-led enterprises have been selected for the programme. These include 124 businesses that will receive Discovery Grants and 17 businesses that will receive Booster Grants.
Mongolia will have 45 beneficiary enterprises, while 33 women-led businesses in the Dominican Republic will also receive grants under the programme.
The Discovery Grants will provide up to $5,000 to early-stage micro and small businesses that are exploring opportunities in digital trade. These grants are intended to help entrepreneurs strengthen their operations, invest in technology and improve their capacity to sell products and services online.
For more established businesses that are ready to expand their export activities, the programme will offer Booster Grants. The first tranche of the Booster Grants will provide $15,000 to selected enterprises, with the total support potentially reaching up to $30,000 as the programme progresses.
Beyond the financial support, beneficiaries will also receive business coaching, e-commerce training and mentorship. These services are designed to help women entrepreneurs develop stronger management skills, improve their digital presence and connect with international markets.
Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, described the initiative as an important step in ensuring that women benefit from the growing opportunities created by digital trade.
“This is an exciting milestone that brings to life our aspirations to unlock the benefits of digital trade for more women. We must ensure that women are not left behind but are fully included in this transformative opportunity,” she said.
The programme is also expected to address one of the biggest challenges facing women entrepreneurs globally: limited access to financing.
International Trade Centre Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said the grants are designed specifically to remove that barrier and allow women-owned businesses to expand.
“These grants directly tackle the single greatest barrier women entrepreneurs face – access to finance. We look forward to hearing the stories of women using the grants to scale up in the digital economy,” she said.
The grants will also be accompanied by access to international business networks, which will allow beneficiaries to connect with partners, buyers and investors in global markets.
One early beneficiary, Yluminada Ortega, Chief Executive Officer of Cacao Florencio Ortega in the Dominican Republic, said the support from the programme had already helped improve business operations and create new opportunities.
“The support from the WEIDE Fund has made a real difference for our company and for me as an entrepreneur. The trainings have helped us grow and improve our work, and connecting with other women pursuing their dreams has been invaluable and inspiring,” Ortega said.
“With the funds we received, we will be able to invest in new equipment to strengthen our project and create a positive impact in our community.”
The first round of funding forms part of the WEIDE Fund’s Phase I programme, under which a total grant package of $3.76 million has been allocated to support women entrepreneurs.
A second round of disbursements is expected in the second quarter of 2026. This phase will include 46 women-led businesses in Jordan and will also release the second portion of the Booster Grants for beneficiaries in Nigeria, Mongolia and the Dominican Republic.
Implementation of the programme in the participating countries is being carried out in partnership with business support organisations, including the Nigerian Export Promotion Council in Nigeria, ProDominicana in the Dominican Republic, the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation.
The WEIDE Fund was launched in 2024 by the World Trade Organization Secretariat and the International Trade Centre to address the barriers that women entrepreneurs face in accessing finance, digital tools and international trade opportunities.
The initiative is supported by the United Arab Emirates, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
