Published
05/21/2025, 15:08In Kyrgyzstan, the latest phase of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) mentoring programme ‘Women in Business’ has come to an end. This initiative aims to boost economic growth and strengthen women's entrepreneurship in the country.
The 2024-2025 season was successfully completed by 38 women entrepreneurs running businesses in manufacturing, medicine, education, trade, tourism and digital technologies.
Over seven months, they worked with experienced mentors from Kyrgyzstan, Europe, Asia and Africa to improve their business skills and operational performance. The programme also includes online and offline training, cross-mentoring sessions, field trips to production facilities, business breakfasts and monitoring visits. For example, visits to enterprises allow participants to learn more about the businesses of other women entrepreneurs, exchange experiences and receive feedback on products or services. A total of 75 events were held this season.
‘We are delighted with the successful completion of the latest stage of the programme, which covered almost all regions of the republic. Since its launch, around 300 experienced mentors and ambitious women leaders have joined the programme. Participants gain access to educational materials, practical training and international expertise, which contributes to the sustainable development of their companies,’ said Bakay Zhunushov, Senior Manager of the EBRD's Small Business Advisory Programme in the Kyrgyz Republic.
At the end of the season, two pairs of mentors and mentees were singled out for their impressive results: Karina Merinovich and Mairam Torobekova from the field of preschool education, and Zukhra Babadzhanova and Eliza Choybekova, who are developing their own brands in the food industry.
‘Thanks to the mentor's advice, we were able to strengthen our team, introduce additional services and expand our customer base. We gained confidence in our own abilities and lost our fear of scaling up. This year, we bought a building for a kindergarten, which is an important step forward,’ said Mairam Torobekova, founder of the Umka Kids preschool.
After seven months of the programme:
• 60% of participants entered new markets;
• 66% expanded their product range;
• 77% increased sales;
• 66% increased profitability;
• 60% improved business process automation;
• 94% developed internal regulations;
• 34% introduced innovations;
• 86% noted an increase in brand awareness;
• 29% attracted additional funding;
• 100% noted personal growth;
• 83% increased their wage fund;
• 69% recorded an increase in employee potential.
• A total of more than 90 new jobs were created during the season.
The Women in Business mentoring programme has been implemented in Kyrgyzstan since 2019 with the support of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) and the Swiss Government through the EBRD's Small Business Facility.
