The Astana Times - The share of women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises reached 43.3 percent in 2021, increasing significantly by 26 percent since 2010, said Deputy Minister of National Economy Bauyrzhan Omarbekov at a Sept. 22 International Women’s Entrepreneurship Congress, reported the ministry’s press service.
Omarbekov added that supporting women-owned businesses would help the country achieve its goals of building an inclusive, viable, and sustainable economy.
At the end of 2021, nearly 10,000 projects of women entrepreneurs received support in terms of the compensation rate subsidy, and up to 7,000 enterprises received support in the form of guarantee loans.
Seventeen women’s entrepreneurship development centers are working nationwide to enhance women’s economic empowerment. In 2023, the centers will be opened in the Abai, Ulytau, and Zhetisu Regions.
According to Omarbekov, the government is making substantial efforts to encourage and support women’s entrepreneurship through international financial institution initiatives and the Damu Entrepreneurship Development Fund.
The ministry and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have implemented the Women in Business program since 2015 to increase competitiveness and develop interest in women’s entrepreneurship.
