Details added (first version posted on 12:11)
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 6
By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:
The scale and scope of measures for the development of women’s entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan will be expanded, said Orkhan Mammadov, chairman of the board of the Agency for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.
He was speaking at the third conference “She Congress 2019” (“Smart. Happy. Elegant.”) dedicated to women’s leadership and entrepreneurship.
He noted that in order to develop women’s entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan, there are plans to create special incubators for women’s entrepreneurship.
They will contribute to the increase in the number of women in SMEs, he added.
He noted that the development of entrepreneurship, in particular, SMEs, which is the leading force of Azerbaijan’s economy, is one of the priority directions of the policy pursued under the leadership of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
“Just like in other areas, Azerbaijani women play an important role in the development of entrepreneurship as well by being actively engaged in business activities,” he said. “The wide representation of women in SMEs is extremely important from the point of view of socio-economic development and ensuring employment.”
He added that women account for approximately 20 percent of individual entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan.
“Development of women’s entrepreneurship is one of the activity directions of SMEs,” he said. “In addition, opportunities for economic leadership of women in Azerbaijan will be significantly expanded through the development of incentive mechanisms for educational and consulting services, lending and other benefits for women entrepreneurs. During the preparation of projects and programs in this direction, the focus will be on women’s employment, particularly in the regions, and defining more promising areas of women’s employment.”