On November 30, the Integrated Rural Development Project (IRDP)/TRIGGER celebrated the essential role of women entrepreneurs in economic growth, poverty reduction, health, education and nation’s development. The event was held in the framework of Dushanbe Economic Meeting – Session 5 dedicated to the International Day of Women Entrepreneurship and the role of women entrepreneurs in fostering innovation and digitalization of agribusiness bridging young women entrepreneurs and girls with government agencies, according to GIZ Office in Tajikistan.
The occasion was opened by the Deputy Chairperson of the State Committee for Investment and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest) Ms. Khurshedai Qodir, who congratulated Tajik entrepreneurs – “According to the statistics, from 2012 to 2021 the number of active entrepreneurs in Republic increased from 178,000 to 342,000 in 2021, in particular, the number of women entrepreneurs for the period of the current year reaches more than 79,000 entrepreneurs. It’s important to note that in recent years, the number of women entrepreneurs candidates in the membership of the Advisory Council on Improving the Investment Climate under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan has been growing.”
The project reportedly held a panel discussion with women entrepreneurs representing companies in the development of IT tools for agriculture and economy, consulting and outsourcing, food industry and other areas. The discussion highlighted the contribution and changes women entrepreneurs have made to the country’s economy development. Female entrepreneurs also shared challenges and obstacles they faced to start own business.
IRDP/TRIGGER improves the range of support services available to start-ups of young entrepreneurs, in particular women through the preparation and implementation of a gender-sensitive entrepreneurship promotion campaign, as well as further mentoring and coaching programs with special focus on gender. 322 potential start-up founders, 128 out of which are females are encouraged toward entrepreneurship, while the economic viability of existing companies is strengthened, and failures are reduced.
The Integrated Rural Development Project (IRDP)/ GIZ “Towards Rural Inclusive Growth and Economic Resilience (TRIGGER)” is a joint project of the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to boost the added value of agricultural production in Tajikistan.
Since 19 November 2014, the Women's Entrepreneurship Day has been observed globally to encourage and support women entrepreneurship globally. This international holiday was first held in New York under the auspices of the UN, and additional events were organized in 144 countries. Women's Entrepreneurship Day was founded by Wendy Diamond, an American social entrepreneur and humanitarian. During her trip to Honduras, she volunteered for Adelante Foundation, providing microcredit to low-income women. After returning to the United States, she decided to create something that could help promote various philanthropic events. Thus, the idea of celebrating Women's Entrepreneurship Day was born. To date, the Women's Entrepreneurship Day works globally to empower women and girls to become active participants in the economy by igniting a network of women leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to initiate start-ups, drive economic expansion, and advance communities around the world.
IRDP/TRIGGER contributes to the implementation of the national gender policy based on the National Strategy for Enhancing the Role of Women in Tajikistan 2010, which lists concrete actions to improve women’s participation in education, the labor market, entrepreneurship, and in politics. Furthermore, the National Development Strategy for 2030 dedicated specific chapters to gender equality as a component of developing the country's human potential. In particular the project primarily contributes to the progressive achievement of SDG 1: No poverty, while also contributing to SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 12: Sustainable consumption and production, SDG 13: Climate action. and SDG 15: Life on land.
Additionally, the project aims to improve links between different market actors (e.g., producer groups and processing Companies) and to increase the added value of products and Services in Tajikistan by promoting entrepreneurship and new business activities with a focus on women.
