Azerbaijan aims to ensure that more women are engaged in activities in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), thereby contributing to the country’s economy, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Ahmadov said on November 15th.

He was speaking at a conference on the topic of new opportunities in women’s entrepreneurship, dedicated to Global Entrepreneurship Week.

By Narmina Mammadova

He said that the activity of women is one of the most important indicators of social progress.

“Azerbaijani women are active in all spheres and participate in the formation of public opinion,” he noted.

He noted that the employment level of women in Azerbaijan is high in a number of spheres, in particular in education and healthcare.

“We encourage equal participation of men and women in all spheres. In this aspect, wider participation of women in the business sphere is one of the directions of the policy being implemented. We encourage equal participation of men and women in all spheres. In this aspect, wider participation of women in the business sphere is one of the directions of the policy being implemented,” Ali Ahmadov stated.

Ahmadov added that the Azerbaijani government pays great attention to the development of SMEs, carries out the necessary work and allocates funds for the business development.

“Azerbaijan will continue creating wide opportunities for SMEs,” he said.

Nowadays, the stereotype that business is a purely male activity and there is no place for female entrepreneurs in it has already been destroyed.

In the current market economy, when the country switched to a new model of economic development, the role of women is increasing.

In Azerbaijan, the development of female entrepreneurship is supported not only by society, but also by the government. As a result, in recent years, the number of women in business has increased by several times.

Azerbaijan pays special attention to the development of entrepreneurship among women and young people, however, as throughout the world, the potential of women entrepreneurs in the country is not fully realized. If we compare the development of women’s entrepreneurship in Western countries, then there is information to think about. In particular, in Western countries there are a lot more women working at the top management level.

On the other hand, if we look at the CIS countries, a lot of women entrepreneurs have appeared in Azerbaijan in recent years. By 2015, this figure stood at the level of 15-18 percent in the region, now it makes about 30 percent. This was achieved largely due to the consistent policy of the country, the adoption of several important laws in the field of entrepreneurship and, more importantly, their implementation.