Economic Empowerment

Lack of economic growth and stability can pose challenges for communities around the world. We believe technology can help. In fact, we’ve seen it help--from boosting a country’s gross domestic product to improving quality of life for people in underserved communities by providing access to information, skills, and financial services.

Because knowledge is vital for economic empowerment, we support Community Knowledge Centers in Africa that offer courses in information and communication technology (ICT), entrepreneurship, and language skills.

Access to network technology and the opportunities it provides can foster innovation and encourage investment that will ultimately help communities and individuals become economically self-sufficient.  

Cisco's Palestinian Investment Commitment program helped create jobs, open up global business opportunities, and break down cultural barriers in the Palestinian Territories. The Partnership for Lebanon fueled economic growth, offered internships to young people, and modernized the nation's ICT infrastructure after a conflict in 2006.

In 165 countries around the world, Networking Academy prepares millions of students from diverse backgrounds for careers in the ICT field and helps meet a growing demand for trained professionals worldwide.

And, Cisco cash and product grants help organizations like One Economy, Samasource, and Digital Divide Data connect talented people from underserved communities with ICT employment opportunities.

Cisco supports organizations that work to economically empower the 2 billion people around the world who live on less than US$2 a day.

For example, we partner with organizations that are developing technology-based solutions to help microfinance institutions (MFIs) multiply their impact among the world's poor. Our support enables partners like Grameen Foundation and Women’s World Banking to help MFIs expand the scale, efficiency, and social impact of their work in underserved communities and population groups.

We also support technology-based solutions to help poverty-focused organizations improve their effectiveness by measuring their outreach, determining client needs, and tracking client movement out of poverty.

See our community partners in the area of economic empowerment.