Business

First ever white book on women-owned SMEs in Vietnam launched

The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on January 23 launched the first-ever study on women-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam.
First ever white book on women-owned SMEs in Vietnam launched ảnh 1Delegates launch the first-ever study on women-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises in Vietnam. (Photo courtesy of ADB)
Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and theAsian Development Bank (ADB) on January 23 launched the first-ever study onwomen-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam.

The report, named "Facilitating EntrepreneurshipGrowth by Lifting Barriers: A White Book on Women-owned Small- and Medium-SizedEnterprises in Vietnam", was developed by the ADB in partnership with the MPI’sAgency for Enterprise Development. It is an integral part of the "WomenAccelerating Vibrant Enterprises in Southeast Asia and the Pacific" (WAVES)programme, funded by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi).

MPI Deputy Minister Tran Duy Dong said thatwomen-owned businesses have a crucial role to play in Vietnam’s efforts toachieve inclusive and sustainable development.

He expressed his hope that this publicationwill provide more significant insights into the untapped opportunities andremaining challenges facing women-owned SMEs in the country and provide afoundation for further research and policy-making initiatives to foster thecontinued growth and development of the sector.

First ever white book on women-owned SMEs in Vietnam launched ảnh 2Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
“Women-led small- and medium-sizedbusinesses can be a key driver of economic growth in Vietnam as well as acrossAsia and the Pacific,” said ADB Director General of the Southeast Asia DepartmentWinfried Wicklein. “For ADB, promoting gender equality and advancing women’seconomic empowerment is a top priority, so we are very pleased to havedeveloped this study with the Ministry of Planning and Investment on promotingwomen-led SMEs and entrepreneurship in Vietnam.”

The study draws on a large body ofknowledge and international best practices to produce a series of measures thatcan unleash the untapped potential of women-owned SMEs in Vietnam. Theseinclude establishing gender-disaggregated databases, incorporating women-ownedSMEs more integrally into legislation like the Law on Gender Equality, exploring gender-specific measures to support implementation of the SME SupportLaw, and placing greater emphasis on knowledge dissemination and awareness-raisingactivities that will promote women entrepreneurship and women role models./.
VNA
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