Women entrepreneurs are encouraged to develop their businesses, and those at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey – to start businesses through the Women’s Entrepreneurship Support Program funded by the Government of the Republic of Moldova and the European Union. The program provides non-reimbursable financial support of up to 200,000 lei to women entrepreneurs at the beginning of their journey and non-reimbursable financial support of up to 600,000 lei to developing enterprises, IPN reports.
Deputy Prime Minister Dumitru Alaiba, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization, said that women’s inclusion and empowerment are, first and foremost, a fair value for a civilized society, but last but not least, it is also an effective economic policy, because a modest estimate suggests that eliminating inequalities in society can have a positive impact on GDP of at least 8%. “This is growth that we can capture simply by allowing half of our society to have the same chances as the other half. The important thing is that we all understand that more rights for women don’t mean fewer rights for men,” stated the official.
Ambassador of the European Union to Moldova Janis Mažeiks noted that that this program is the last of seven support programs for small and medium-sized businesses which the European Union has financed as part of a large-scale project worth €8 million “Encouraging women’s entrepreneurship stimulates diversity and innovation, leading to a more dynamic and competitive economy. However, gender gaps still exist. These gaps are costly, representing missed opportunities for both individual businesses and the economy as a whole. For this reason, gender equality and women’s economic empowerment are a major political priority of the European Union for the Republic of Moldova,” said the diplomat.
Interim director of the Organization for Entrepreneurship Development (ODA) Gheorghe Iudin said that the Women’s Entrepreneurship Support Program is an enhanced continuation of the former “Women in Business” program. The new program comes with new support measures for women entrepreneurs, more varied ones. Women’s needs are more targeted and economic support is more consistent. The financial resources provided in the form of grants can be used both for tools and equipment, as well as for raw material and quality certificates. The program also provides technical assistance to support women entrepreneurs, namely by organizing training, consulting and mentoring sessions.
Applications for grants can be submitted online, by filling in the form.
More details about the program can be found in the application guide.
A grant contract was signed with the European Union last year to finance ODA support programs, worth a total of €8 million, for a period of three years. Of this contribution, approximately €720,000 are allocated to the Women’s Entrepreneurship Support Program.
