The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and Meta on Tuesday announced a partnership to support small businesses unlock the power of digital commerce.

They have partnered to help small businesses unlock the power of digital commerce by enabling and educating them to build seamless conversational buyer and seller experiences on WhatsApp through an ecosystem of Meta’s business and technical solution providers.

ONDC will help these business solution providers become seller apps, bringing the businesses they service onto the ONDC network and helping them drive commerce.

To kick off the partnership, over the next two years, five lakh MSMEs will also be digitally upskilled through the Meta Small Business Academy.

T Koshy, MD & CEO of ONDC, said, “At ONDC, we are committed to accelerating and democratizing the digital landscape and towards that, we aim to empower MSMEs, help them build digital visibility, and boost their businesses. Our partnership with Meta will not only digitally upskill these businesses but will also enable them to connect with a customer base far and wide.”

Sandhya Devanathan, Vice President, Meta in India, said, “India’s digital transformation story is unfolding at a revolutionary pace, and for this growth to continue, we need the right ecosystem and partnerships that enable millions of small businesses to build and deepen their digital presence.”

“Our partnership with ONDC builds on supporting the government’s vision for Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and furthering our ongoing commitment to skilling small businesses and aiding this rapid digital transformation and growth story in the country,” she said.

As per its commitment to upskill 10 million small businesses across the country, Meta Small Business Academy offers a certification to empower entrepreneurs and marketers to gain critical digital marketing skills to grow on the Meta apps.

As part of the partnership, Meta will also support Sahayak, ONDC’s WhatApp chatbot, in enhancing the services offered on the bot as the single point of seller communication and customer communication for ONDC.