Across Central Asia, women are playing an increasingly dynamic role in entrepreneurship and trade. In Uzbekistan, for instance, of approximately 5.2 million entrepreneurs in the country in 2024, 2.1 million were women – a sevenfold increase from 2020. In parts of rural Kazakhstan, women now account for up to 80 percent of small traders, illustrating their drive to carve out a greater agency in the economy.

But their significant potential remains constrained: limited access to financing and markets, skills gaps, norms and biases, and low digital literacy combined with restricted availability of technology. Women remain underrepresented in the region’s labour markets and make up roughly one third of all the entrepreneurs in the region. While policies increasingly recognize equal access and opportunity, they often fail to address women’s different starting points. 

Catalyzing women’ economic inclusion and increasing their roles in trade demands a stronger enabling environment to expand financing and market access, attract decent employment over informality, and nurture skills development.

Through UNDP’s Aid for Trade initiative, funded by the Government of Finland, we have been advancing to create this space in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. For over a decade, UNDP has been helping small businesses seize market opportunities, integrate into value chains that are environmentally sustainable, employment-rich and viable for export markets, and access financing. Until now, our initiative has supported more than 2500 women through mentorship, affordable finance programmes and other mechanisms.

From ideas to action: Building skills, networks and market opportunities

Aid for Trade is about unlocking the full potential of local economies in a sustainable way. Its mentorship programmes enable women entrepreneurs to nurture their skills and turn business ideas into action with guidance from previous cohorts of women entrepreneurs. The programme also include a learning path that covers planning, marketing and export opportunities for small businesses.

Dildora Olimova’s path has serendipitously crossed with UNDP’s joint initiative with the Association of Businesswomen of Uzbekistan for a mentorship programme. An aspiring entrepreneur, Dildora progressed in creating the business plans of her mung bean processing company, with additional support in acquiring the equipment for her facility. Once a successful participant, Dildora returned to the programme as a mentor.

Aid for Trade, with other development partners, offers targeted trainings like international standards for product safety, certification and sustainability requirements. For women-owned businesses, traditionally kept out of business networks, this training is key for market access.

With such technical and institutional support mechanisms in place, along with a social knowledge infrastructure ensuring peer learning, green and inclusive economy solutions can be modeled after the experience of Aid for Trade in Central Asia. Supported businesses have achieved an average 20 percent increase in their productivity and have signed US$192.6 million worth of export contracts since 2018.