On Tuesday July 27, the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown in partnership with the Jan’s Empowerment Institute (JEI) launched the U.S. Department of State’s Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Program in Antigua and Barbuda. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the global economy, AWE aims to work with women entrepreneurs to develop their business resilience with a view to survive, thrive, and then grow, in the next normal and beyond. At its core, AWE provides female entrepreneurs an educational opportunity that combines in-person training sessions and a facilitated online course called “DreamBuilder.” U.S. Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Linda Taglialatela joined JEI founder and U.S. State Department Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative Fellow, Jenese Henderson, in congratulating the thirty female entrepreneurs from across Antigua and Barbuda who comprise the inaugural cohort in Antigua and Barbuda. These women join female entrepreneurs in over fifty countries around the world participating in this illustrious training program.
U.S. Ambassador Taglialatela encouraged the emerging entrepreneurs at the launch ceremony to advance their businesses and communities. She remarked, “The U.S. Embassy, working with NGO’s and other local partners, continues to prioritize economic diversification not only to ensure a stable and prosperous Antigua and Barbuda but also to provide opportunities for people in all corners of society. Harnessing the full participation of women in the economy, and particularly women entrepreneurs such as yourselves, is critical to fulfilling this mission.”
This partnership between the U.S. Embassy and Jan’s Empowerment Institute is part of the U.S. government’s continued commitment to promoting entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment which creates conditions for increased stability, security, and prosperity for all Barbudans and Antiguans.