Moldovan PM announces launch of female entrepreneurship development programme

Chisinau, 23 April /MOLDPRES/-Prime Minister Pavel Filip today held a meeting with the members of the Platform of Women's Entrepreneurship in Moldova, during an event entitled “A cup of tea with Moldova’s Prime Minister Pavel Filip”. The event was organized by the Organization for Small and Medium Enterprises Sector Development (ODIMM), the government’s communication and press relations department has reported.

During the event, the prime minister encouraged the participants in the meeting, noting that small enterprises are a force for Moldova’s economic growth, whereas besides new jobs, the participation of women in business will also back the country’s regional development. 

“I see determined women here, who had the courage to launch a business and had the skills to develop it. You are the successful examples we need to promote business initiative and abilities among women. I am convinced that a successful example can be more efficient than hundreds of documents and strategies we carry out to back women,” Filip said.

The prime minister also emphasized the actions the government is taking to improve business conditions, touching upon the establishment of a moratorium on state controls, minimizing the number of permissive documents, development of business infrastructure and facilitation of access to funds. He said a new programme project on women entrepreneurship was currently being carried out.

“We have good news for you. The government will launch an entrepreneurship development programme for Moldovan women, entitled “Women in business”. The programme has a three-year length and will be enforced by ODIMM. The programme will start in 2016. The state budget will allot 10 million lei to this effect. However, besides its own funds, the government will ask development partners for assistance as well. An amount of 300 women from rural areas will be receive financial assistance to create their own business entities in the first stage of the project,” the prime minister noted.

At the end of the meeting, women entrepreneurs asked questions and came with suggestions on removing barriers to business, referring to access to funds, participation of women in the decision-making process, fiscal policy, business infrastructure and others.

The meeting aimed to consolidate the public-private dialogue, find solutions and opportunities to achieve a more active involvement of women in business.

Attending the event were almost 100 female entrepreneurs from all over Moldova, including its breakaway Transnistrian region and Gagauz Autonomous Territorial Unit, as well as representatives of district councils, international project managers, representatives of the civil society and others.

(Editor L. Alcaza)