More than 400 women from Moldova, especially from rural areas, who want to start or develop a business will be able to access grants and to benefit from entrepreneurial assistance within the program “Women in Business” that was launched by the Organization for the Development of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (ODIMM) on October 6, IPN reports.
ODIMM director general Iulia Iabanji said the women who start or develop businesses in all the sectors of the economy can apply to the program. Priority will be given to innovative businesses, with export potential, non-agricultural businesses from rural areas, creative industry, agritourism and handicrafts, and to enterprises operating in the production and ICT sectors, which provide services to large companies.
The budget of the program is 51.5 million lei. The money will go on entrepreneurial training and consultancy services and on grants intended as investment in women’s business.
The state-run program is partially supported by the EU, through the assistance provided by European experts. Speranta Olaru, project manager at the EU Delegation to Moldova, said the European experts contributed to working out the program functioning principles and are ready to intervene in the course of the program.
According to the data presented in the event, the women represent over 47% of the labor force in Moldova. Of the total number of enterprise managers in Moldova, 27% are women, while about 20% of the female entrepreneurs work in the agricultural sector. In 2014, the employment rate among women was 37%, which is the lowest in the Eastern Partnership countries.
The pilot-program “Women in Business” was launched within the Moldova Business Week 2016 Forum.
