Ivanka Trump Urges Better Access To Credit For Women Entrepreneurs

Nearly 70 percent of small and medium-sized businesses owned or run by women in developing countries are denied access to credit. The result is a $300 billion annual credit deficit for women entrepreneurs, said Ivanka Trump in her opening remarks at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2017 in Hyderabad.

Invoking the Summit's theme of ‘Women First, Prosperity for All', the advisor and daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump urged women entrepreneurs in attendance to close this gap and usher in a new age of greater prosperity.

Her remarks came ahead of an address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had personally invited her to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.

“If India closes the labor-force gender gap by half, your economy could grow by over $150 billion dollars in the next three years,” she told the audience at the GES 2017. Citing the U.S. example, Trump said more than 11 million women own businesses, which in turn employ nearly 9 million workers and generate over $1 trillion dollar in revenue.

Trump highlighted the U.S. budget's inclusion of a proposal to establish a nationwide programme for paid family leave, adding, “We are committed to supporting women, and men, who work, inside and outside of the home.”

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