Tashkent ( WNAM MONITORING): President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has announced a series of initiatives aimed at supporting women’s entrepreneurship. In a speech published by the presidential press service on the occasion of International Women’s Day, he emphasized the importance of creating employment opportunities for women and encouraging their participation in business.
He noted that in 2024, 17 trillion soums were allocated for these purposes. As a result, women-led businesses generated significant economic impact, producing goods worth 81 trillion soums and exporting US$450 million worth of products. Special attention was given to training programs that have helped thousands of women in local communities acquire new professional and artisanal skills. In this regard, Mirziyoyev expressed readiness to provide additional support and incentives for women in business.
“As a practical step in this direction, what would you say if we established a Women’s Business Council under the Chamber of Commerce and Industry?” he proposed, adding that this body would serve as a platform to discuss key issues related to women’s entrepreneurship and present them for consideration by the Oliy Majlis (parliament). The president suggested appointing Nodira Shotursunova, the deputy head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as the council’s chairperson.
Additionally, new financial programs for women, to be implemented through commercial banks, were announced. This year, plans include providing employment to 2 million women, 1.3 million of whom will engage in entrepreneurial activities. To support these initiatives, additional funding of 3.3 trillion soums has been allocated. Specifically, US$100 million will be provided through family entrepreneurship programs, another US$100 million will be raised by banks, and an equivalent amount will be contributed by the company “Hamroh” to support women’s businesses.
Banks will play a crucial role in this process, offering financial assistance to women across various sectors. The National Bank plans to support at least 200,000 women in service-related projects, while Turonbank will provide preferential loans for 150,000 women engaged in lemon farming. Similarly, Microcreditbank will assist 160,000 women in poultry farming, and Uzpromstroybank will support 160,000 women involved in vegetable and seedling cultivation. People’s Bank will finance 150,000 women working in viticulture, cabbage, and broccoli farming, while Agrobank will aid 144,000 women in horticulture.
The Business Development Bank will allocate funds for 94,000 women engaged in growing greens, bell peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes. Asakabank will provide financial resources for 82,000 women in the pharmaceutical and viticulture sectors, while Alokabank will support 58,000 women working in IT, beekeeping, and fruit cultivation.
For self-employed women, unsecured loans of up to 50 million soums will be available. Those who repay their loans on time will have the opportunity to apply for a second loan twice as large—up to 100 million soums. Meanwhile, the Central Bank and credit organizations have been instructed to establish a banking service system tailored to women’s needs within the next two months.
Additionally, it has been decided to extend loan repayment periods by 10 months for women taking maternity leave.
Furthermore, women entrepreneurs who employ at least five women from local communities will be eligible for grants of up to 50 million soums.
