Bank of Palestine organized a training on digital marketing skills using the Internet and social media platforms for a group of businesswomen and women entrepreneurs from Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The training was conducted at the bank’s main headquarters in Ramallah and through videoconferencing with the General Administration in Gaza. The training course forms part of the Felestineya Program, which was organized by Bank of Palestine to empower Palestinian women and enable them to play an effective role in the Palestinian economy and society.
The training was held for the third time in Palestine, and involved the participation of 13 women from Gaza and 19 women from Jerusalem and the West Bank, who are all entrepreneurs in the various business sectors including retail, handicrafts, food production, education, services and agriculture. It involved also involved the participation of Lithuanian and local experts, in partnership with Market Place Investments, Middle East Business Magazine, the Lithuanian Representative Office, Audio Web, Women FM Radio, and the Ministry of Social Development.
The training session featured several concepts and consultations, including an introduction on electronic commerce, the legal terms and requirements for establishing and managing a business, the requirements for establishing and launching trademarks, and creating trademarks for entrepreneurs. Women were also introduced to the principles of creating promotional videos, the various digital marketing techniques, the mechanisms of electronic payments, and original advertisements that surpass the traditional forms of marketing and focus on the content provided on websites.
The local experts and Lithuanian trainers introduced techniques and mechanisms for marketing products and services through the creation of stories and addressing consumers using images and visual stimulants. They also shared their know-how on establishing businesses that are based on electronic commerce, promoting products and services using social media platforms, and launching promotional campaigns that guarantee the effective achievement of goals. Many examples were provided on both successful and unsuccessful campaigns to allow women to know the difference between the two and achieve utmost benefit from the consultations provided. The experts conducted special sessions through videoconferencing with the Gaza-based women entrepreneurs.
Mr. Rushdi Ghalayini, the General Director of Bank of Palestine, stressed the importance of the trainings conducted by the bank to develop the capacities of Palestinian women, especially participants in the Felestineya program activities, with an aim to promote their businesses. Ghalayini stated that “this training featured experts from abroad with an aim to learn from their experiences and benefit from their expertise.” “This activity stems from the bank’s interest to empower women to manage their businesses effectively and successfully, enable them to assist in the employment of fresh graduates, contribute to the alleviation of poverty and unemployment, and become active and effective participants in the economy,” stated Ghalayini. “The bank will continue to implement many and different training courses and awareness session across Palestinian governorates and cities,” he added.
Mr. Sharif Abu Sneineh, a representative of Market Place Investment, expressed his team’s pride in the confidence entrusted to them by the Lithuanian Representative Office and the rest of the partners to implement this training for the third year in a row. According to Abu Sneineh, “the diversity of Palestinian and Lithuanian expertise promoted discussions and participations concerning the existing gap in the electronic business sector and the possible solutions in the presence of this ever-growing and ever-changing field.”
Mr. Artūras Gailiūnas, Representative of the Office of Lithuania in Palestine, praised the training on digital marketing skills, which aims to empower Palestinian women economically. He expressed his enthusiasm about the remarkable increase in program beneficiaries, the program’s uniqueness and its wide geographic scope. According to Gailiūnas, “thanks also go to the trainers and partners from Palestine and Lithuania who held this training for a group of Palestinian women entrepreneurs in Gaza.”
Dr. Amal Al Masri, the Chief Editor of the Middle East Business Magazine, stated that establishing a business in Palestine is confronted by a great many challenges, most importantly keeping up with digital developments. According to Al Masri, “this program was created to develop the digital capacities of women entrepreneurs, especially in the field of economic marketing, as well as creating brands and trademarks.” Women were also introduced to the legal frameworks of electronic commerce or commerce using the internet and all its tools and platforms.