Nine companies managed by women receive grants for doing business in Moldova

Chisinau, 20 November /MOLDPRES/ - Nine enterprises from Moldova, managed by women, have received grants worth 1.6 million lei each, meant for extending the sales market, the market of export and innovation within the Appeal I of big projects of the Women in Business programme.   

The signing of contracts on non-refundable financing of the winners of the first Big Grants Appeal within the Women in Business programme took place at a today’s event held at the Organization for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Sector Development (ODIMM) – the entity which initiated and manages the project.  

“The state supports women entrepreneurs who presently start courageous, ambitious, sustainable projects. It is a pleasure to see that there are women in Moldova who can lead interesting and profitable businesses and we are sure that they will bring value added to the state,’’ the ODIMM director general, Iulia Costin, said.   

Costin urged women from Moldova to apply to this programme and develop their businesses, which will allow them access new markets.    

Four out of the nine enterprises selected are export-oriented, including replacing the imports, and five businesses plan to extend the exports. At the same time, 65 new jobs will be created and another 371 will be maintained.

„Seven enterprises carry out their activity in the production sector, one enterprise is in the field of agriculture and processing and another company provides services, according to ODIMM.   

„This was an intense contest, where I saw advanced business ideas, which had to pass more filtres. It was difficult, especially taking into account that we are in a pandemic year. This was the best investment which the state could make or this is a big financing, but it was worth it and I thank you for courage,’’ Economics and Infrastructure Minister Anatol Usatii said.

The overall sum of the non-refundable financings for those nine enterprises is 9.9 million lei, which will favour investments in the economy worth at least 17.4 million lei.     

The Women in Business programme was approved under cabinet decision in 2016. Its goal is to enhance the economic opportunities for women, through reducing obstacles to start or develop a business; facilitate the access to investments and assistance for developing businesses managed by women, meant to add financial and non-financial support available for women entrepreneurs from Moldova; create a national integrated model of support for the development of women’ entrepreneurship, which regards various stages of business’ development: from planning the business (initiation) to newly created enterprises and ending with growing businesses, etc.