‘We Rise’: How NITI Aayog and DP World Are Powering India’s Women Entrepreneurs to Go Global

For years, India’s women entrepreneurs have been scripting quiet revolutions — running small businesses from their homes, breaking glass ceilings in boardrooms, and redefining what inclusive growth really looks like. Yet, one challenge has consistently held them back: global access.

Now, a powerful new collaboration between NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) and DP World aims to change that narrative for good.

A Step Towards Women-Led Global Growth

In a move that blends policy vision with private-sector strength, NITI Aayog and DP World have launched ‘We Rise – Women Entrepreneurs Reimagining Inclusive and Sustainable Enterprises’, a landmark initiative to empower women-led businesses with tools, training, and global exposure.

The programme, launched under WEP’s Award to Reward (ATR) initiative, is designed to identify and nurture high-potential women-led MSMEs across India — and help them scale beyond borders. The signing of the Statement of Intent (SoI) took place in the presence of B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog, with Anna Roy, Mission Director, WEP, representing the platform.

This partnership is more than symbolic. It reflects a clear intent — to position women entrepreneurs not just as contributors to India’s domestic economy, but as active players in international trade and global value chains.

100 Women, One Global Vision

At the heart of We Rise lies a concrete goal: to train and mentor 100 women entrepreneurs to enhance their export readiness. These women-led MSMEs will gain access to specialized interventions — from understanding global market standards to building sustainable supply chains.

DP World, one of the world’s leading logistics and trade facilitators, will leverage its global network to support these entrepreneurs in every step of their export journey. Its vast logistics ecosystem, trade expertise, and deep understanding of international business practices will ensure that women-led enterprises are not just export-ready, but globally competitive.

And for the selected few, there’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — a chance to showcase their products at Bharat Mart in Dubai, located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza). This marketplace, envisioned as a global hub connecting Indian businesses with international buyers, will offer women entrepreneurs a real stage to present their innovations to the world.

Bridging the Gender Gap in Trade

Speaking on the significance of this collaboration, B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog, highlighted the alignment between the initiative and India’s broader economic goals, “This partnership supports the Government of India’s vision for women-led economic growth. Through ‘We Rise’, we aim to create an enabling environment where women entrepreneurs can grow, scale, and access global markets. By uniting efforts with DP World, a global leader in supply chain solutions, we are strengthening the foundation for long-term impact.”

Adding to that, Anna Roy, Mission Director, WEP, underlined the importance of collaborative efforts, “To achieve meaningful change, curated interventions are essential. Partnerships between the public and private sectors—like this one with DP World—are key to promoting women exporters and expanding their global presence.”

Their statements underscore a larger truth: while policy and intent matter, collaboration is what converts vision into impact.

From 90,000 Women to a Global Movement

Since its inception, the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) has been a catalyst for women-led business transformation in India. Launched in 2018 and later evolved into a public-private partnership in 2022, WEP acts as a national aggregator—connecting women entrepreneurs with finance, mentorship, training, and markets.

With a network that already spans over 90,000 women entrepreneurs and 47 ecosystem partners, WEP focuses on six key pillars critical to entrepreneurial success:

• Access to finance

• Market linkages

• Training and skilling

• Mentorship and networking

• Compliance and legal support

• Business development services

The Award to Reward (ATR) programme, under which We Rise has been introduced, takes this mission further. It institutionalizes these partnerships to ensure measurable impact—focusing not just on celebrating women entrepreneurs, but also on helping them scale sustainably.

Women-Led Development as an Economic Imperative

India’s economic growth story is entering a new chapter—one where women are not merely participants but leaders. Initiatives like We Rise are a reminder that women-led development isn’t just a social objective—it’s an economic necessity.

By bridging the gender gap in trade and entrepreneurship, this initiative aims to unlock the full potential of women as drivers of inclusive and sustainable growth. It’s a move from empowerment to enablement—from opportunity creation to opportunity expansion.

As India pushes toward becoming a global manufacturing and export powerhouse, We Rise could become a defining model of how strategic partnerships can uplift an entire ecosystem.

For every woman who dreams of taking her business global, this initiative stands as both a platform and a promise — that the world is ready to hear their stories, see their products, and recognize their power to shape the future of trade.