New Delhi : India and the US need to engage more to develop entrepreneurship among women, an American diplomat said as the two countries are scheduled to deliberate on the subject during the third Indo-US Strategic Dialogue later this month.

"We have to look at fostering a legion of women entrepreneurs, who can make significant qualitative changes in the economic landscapes of both the countries," Judy R. Reinke, minister counselor for commercial affairs at the US embassy in India, said.

The third Indo-US Strategic Dialogue in Washington DC in two weeks' time would discuss, among other things, ways and means for women empowerment and economic emancipation.

Participating in a panel discussion organised by the Women's Business Council of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) here Friday, Reinke mentioned about the significant contribution women make towards business development in the US.

Reinke said that 40 percent of the businesses are run by women, contributing over $4 trillion to the total quantum of businesses generated in the country.

"We expect women's share in total businesses to increase in the near future and by triggering a continuous dialogue between our two countries, we can benefit from each other's experiences," she said.

Suraj Sabberwal, director and general manager, Global 500, Dell India, said there is a tremendous optimism on the part of women entrepreneurs in India.  He said early results of a Dell study on women's entrepreneurship, that would to be released later this month, found high success ratio of the enterprises owned by women in India, and women entrepreneurs expect an average of 90 percent business growth over the next five years.