LocationsFrom Informality to Opportunity: Women Entrepreneurs Awarded Business Grants
May 22, 2026
On 21 May 2026, women entrepreneurs from Karshi, Samarkand, and Bukhara gathered in Tashkent to receive equipment grants that will help them grow and formalize their businesses.
Across Uzbekistan, many entrepreneurs — especially women, youth, and rural residents — continue to work informally, limiting their access to finance, social protection, and business development opportunities. To help address these barriers, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in cooperation with the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of Uzbekistan and Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), organized targeted capacity-building trainings and a grant programme for women entrepreneurs.
More than 270 applications were submitted from across the three regions. Outreach to informally employed entrepreneurs was carried out through the network of Monocenters under the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction, alongside broad awareness campaigns on social media.
The trainings brought together 69 women entrepreneurs, with demand exceeding available places by four times. Nearly half of the participants formalized their businesses while applying for grants and accessing support services.
Following a competitive selection process, 14 women entrepreneurs were awarded equipment grants valued at up to USD 5,000 to help expand and strengthen their businesses.
“A few years ago, I was included in the Iron Notebook. Today, I feel that my dream of becoming the woman entrepreneur of the year is possible,” said Volida Amonova from Bukhara. “As I move forward with expanding my small production of organic potato chips, I also look forward to creating jobs for other women who, like me, are single breadwinners for their families.”
Some of the participants are also helping inspire a new generation of young women entrepreneurs. Maftuna Bekmurodova from Kashkadarya shared: “I was one of the first girls in my mahalla to pursue a university degree, and I had to work hard to convince my father that education was important for me. Today, I am proud that my example inspires other girls to pursue their dreams and ambitions through my work at the learning centre, and I will continue doing all I can to support them.”
The mini-grant initiative is implemented by UNDP within the Joint Programme “Accelerating Decent Jobs and Social Protection for a Just Transition to Formality in Uzbekistan,” in partnership with the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction and TİKA. The programme contributes to Uzbekistan’s commitments under the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions initiative, financed by the Joint SDG Fund.
