Trade mission female entrepreneurs from Georgia
May 13-19 a delegation of 15 female entrepreneurs from Georgia have visited the Netherlands. Goal of this mission is to introduce the business delegation to potential Dutch business contacts and to further develop their entrepreneurial skills. The week will include:
- Training
- expanding the international network both collectively and individually
- offer better insights in international opportunities
- introduction to potential business leads and partners
This will offer a unique opportunity to develop the potential of these highly talented Georgian business women and offer opportunities to underline mutual business opportunities in The Netherlands and Georgia.
Female Entrepreneurship in Georgia
Female entrepreneurship in Georgia is an area in which there is
still a lot of room for growth. Unfortunately, Georgia is not yet mentioned on the Female Entrepreneurs Index (2015), and as of yet there is no complete list of the number of female entrepreneurs active in Georgia. Therefore, it is unclear what the exact scope is of female entrepreneurship in Georgia. There are however some indications. A survey in 2008 showed that around 41% of the Georgian firms have a female owner. Though, only 20% women hold a top managerial position.1 Overall, the average salary of women in 37% lower than that of men, with men earning 1298 GEL per month and women 811 GEL (2017).
Entrepreneurs in Georgia face struggles when developing their businesses. Corruption in the country has decreased, but other issues such as access to finance and tax rates still form obstacles for the development of business for both men and women. An assessment in 2008 indicated that there are increased risks for women and that the current climate does not motivate women to open or expand businesses. Moreover, women own fewer properties than men, making it harder to access capital to start or expand their businesses.
There are also other issues women face that form obstacles for economic participation. These obstacles include: participation in unpaid household activities, absence of day-care in towns and villages, and gender bias in communities.Nevertheless by law the opportunities for men and women are equal which makes growth of female entrepreneurship possible.
In general, Georgian education and society do not encourage women to speak up, to attract attention. Women might therefore be good at running a business, but are less inclined to promote their business, their roles in attaining the success or growth of the company. Therefore, there is the need to support Georgian female entrepreneurs by enhancing their international (business) talents by giving them the tools to be able to better promote their business and to put these tools into practice.
therefor these 15 Georgian entrepreneurs were invited to come to the Netherlands to gain insights in new technologies, products and markets, to discover opportunities for (international) collaboration and to be inspired by the success stories of Dutch female entrepreneurs.
Itinerary
Tentative program
Sunday May 13 2018
Arrival delegation Schiphol
Transfer to hotel
Briefing and welcome dinner
Monday May 14 2018
Breakfast
All day training
Dinner with guest speaker
Tuesday May 15 2018
Breakfast
Company visits Amsterdam
Dinner with guest speaker
Wednesday May 16 2016
Breakfast
Company visits Rotterdam / Wageningen
Dinner with guest speaker
Thursday May 17 2018
Breakfast
Round table session
Networking lunch
Matchmaking meetings
Network event
Friday May 18 2018
Breakfast and individual debriefing
Cultural visit
Lunch
Follow up meetings
Saturday May 19 2018
Breakfast
Check out hotel
Airport transfer
Flight back to Tblisi
Matchmaking
Matchmaking is an important part of the program and will be executed in collaboration with a local partners. The effectiveness of matchmaking depends on early registration and intake, active participation in match selection and providing us with relevant company information as soon as possible.
Participants
The local partner for this project is the Women Business Council in
Georgia (WBCG). The WBCG, founded in 2015, aims to advance
the status and image of women in business and to increase in the
role of women in economic growth and policy development in
Georgia. They bring together women from diverse occupations and
provide opportunities to grow personally and professionally
through leadership, education, networking support and national
recognition. Over 50 Georgian women are a member of the WBCG.
The WBCG and the Embassy in Tblisis have selected the 15 women who will participate in this project and subsequently in this study visit.
Contractor
This project is initiated by RVO and the Embassy of The Netherlands in Tbilisi, Georgia.
More information
Please contact us for more information on this or other projects: info@handelsroute.nl