On February 24-25, a group of women entrepreneurs from Keda municipality of Ajara, participated in the EU-supported workshop “Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs for Business Development”. The workshop, which took place under the EU’s ENPARD project “Optimising the Potential of Local Assets for Rural Development of Keda Municipality (Keda LEADER)”, was carried out by the project implementing organisation CENN. It aimed at strengthening local women entrepreneurs in Keda municipality by giving them access to new opportunities and information throughout theoretical materials and discussion of practical cases. Amongst the participants were active women entrepreneurs, as well as those who plan to start business in future.
The training participant women entrepreneurs will take part in the “Women Entrepreneurs’ Forum” to be held on 8th March in Batumi. The forum will be organized by the Ajarian and Georgian Chambers of Commerce. It will allow the women to seek new business opportunities and meet with other successful businesswomen from different regions of Georgia. Up to twenty women from Keda will participate in the Forum.
The EU-supported ENPARD project is implemented by CENN in partnership with the Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG), Institute of Democracy (IoD) and Austrian Institute for Regional Studies and Spatial Planning (ÖIR). The project aims at diversifying the local economic activities, improving investment climate, and empowering competitive agricultural and environmental practices in Keda Municipality via bottom-up strategic planning of rural development.
The EU is supporting agriculture and rural development in Georgia through its ENPARD Programme. Implemented since 2013 with a total budget of EUR 179.5 million, the main goal of ENPARD is to reduce rural poverty in Georgia. The first phase of ENPARD in Georgia focused on developing the potential of agriculture. The second and third phases of ENPARD focus on creating economic opportunities for rural population that go beyond agricultural activities. More information on ENPARD is available at: www.enpard.ge.