Ooredoo, the Qatari backed telecommunications firm, had recently announced the finalization of the partnership with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. The goal was to support women's entrepreneurship in Myanmar.

The partnership would develop a franchise model to enable 30,000 women by 2016 to become entrepreneurs through selling prepaid Ooredoo airtime in their communities. Each partcipating woman would be provided a business kit with a mobile phone, promotional materials and an operating manual. The women participants would also receive hands-on training on the progress of running their businesses.

The partnership was made public during the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York over the weekend. It aims to address the urgent need to engage more women in the economic development of their respective countries. One such area is Myanmar, where mobile phones have not yet been commercially available with penetration rates of less than 10%.

According to Ooredoo Chairman His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, "Across our footprint, we seek to partner with grassroots organisations and NGOs to deliver on-the-ground support that will empower women. As we begin operating in Myanmar, we're looking to create tens of thousands of new jobs in the retail sector, with a particular focus on engaging women micro-entrepreneurs."