Team Members: Boopen Seetanah, Varsha Mooneeram

Transcript:Team Members: Boopen Seetanah, Varsha Mooneeram:
Team Members: Boopen Seetanah, Varsha Mooneeram Chadee and Verena Tandrayen Ragoobur Harnessing digital trade to curb COVID-19 impacts on MSMEs: A gender and sector discourse Background The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic extend beyond the loss of human life. It is creating increased levels of structural vulnerabilities in many countries, especially developing ones Economies that harness the potential of digital trade will be in a better position to benefit from regional and global markets Developing economies need to gain a deeper foothold in the digital trade landscape to prevent their market presence from being dominated by large countries Need to address the existing electronic commerce barriers and leverage on the benefits of online trading – mainly in small island economies where MSMEs, play a significant role in employment creation and GDP contribution Objective Develop research, curriculum and outreach events on the correlation between COVID-19, digital trade and MSMEs. The focus will be mainly on women and entrepreneurs in the blue economy that Small Island Tourism Economies need to sustain. It aims to generate policy measures and actions that would be taken by different stakeholder groups to ensure more inclusive benefits from digital trade to MSMES Analyse the effects of COVID-19 on Mauritian MSMEs including women and blue entrepreneurs. Investigate the factors that prevent Mauritian women micro entrepreneurs to shift to digital trade Empower MSMEs to adopt electronic commerce and increase their visibility in the online trading environment Reflect on the long-term sustainability and recovery of the blue entrepreneurship in the advent of COVID-19 Specific Objectives Devise relevant policy options to promote the use of e-commerce among women entrepreneurs and MSMES in the blue economy sector Methodology RESEARCH COMPONENT A mixed strategy approach with the use of both quantitative and qualitative techniques. A survey of 400 MSMEs in different business sectors will be carried out Supported with a series of semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in Ministries, private sector, business organisations, support institutions and civil societies. Enhanced with Focus Group Discussions carried out with women entrepreneurs and MSMEs operating in the blue economy sector. Case studies on the impact of COVID-19 on MSMES included in exiting modules in both postgraduate and undergraduate programmes Train-the-Trainers Course for women entrepreneurs E-Brochure on Electronic Commerce OUTREACH COMPONENT CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT COMPONENT Inception Workshop-cum-Roundtable on the effects on the pandemic on MSMES. A dissemination workshop via a Webinar with main stakeholders to present the findings for