Press releases

19 November 2025, Chisinau — More than 60 entrepreneurs in the Republic of Moldova met at the International Women’s Day event organised by the Organisation for the Development of Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalisation and Development Partners.

The event brought together representatives of public authorities, development partners, mentors, trainers, experts in leadership and finance, as well as entrepreneurs from various fields.

At the beginning of the event, the Director ODA, Vadim Codreanu, underlined the institution’s commitment to promoting and supporting women in business, highlighting the importance of support for entrepreneurs across the country.

“We avoid women’s major contribution to economic development, through their ability to transform concepts into well-functioning and sustainable initiatives. The more than 11800 ODA beneficiaries of the last four years confirm the effectiveness of our support instruments, which include grants for digitalisation and repowering, financial guarantees and specialised training. Each business launched becomes a real driver of Community growth and development”declared Vadim Codreanu, Director ODA.

“Promoting female entrepreneurship is not only a social priority but an economic necessity. We want to make sure that every woman has the chance to turn their ideas into sustainable business, thereby contributing to the prosperity of society as a whole.
Creating an enabling environment and supporting entrepreneurial education is essential for women to be able to realise their full potential and have a significant impact in the development of the economy’, said Natalia Selevestru, Secretary of State, MDED.

“When women expand their business, they contribute to making the economy as a whole more competitive, resilient and inclusive. This is why the European Union is a strong partner in supporting female entrepreneurship in Moldova. Through projects such as the ‘EU for SMEs’, we are building an ecosystem in which entrepreneurs can access finance and develop the skills and trust they need to develop their businesses’said Julda Kielyte, Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth Team Leader, Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova.

“A Women strongly supports the economic participation of women, especially in vulnerable and rural environments. The WE4WE project implemented together with ODA demonstrated that investing in women means investment across society. Moldovan female entrepreneurs are an example of resilience, creativity and transformation capacity’, mentioned Tatiana Udrea, specialist in gender, the economic empowerment and the Resilience of Women, UN Women.

“Moldnogenics in Moldova have overcome barriers, reinvented business models and demonstrated that female leadership is a key pillar of economic development. The AFAM continues to be the voice of these women and to foster a collaborative, trustworthy and perseverance entrepreneurial culture. We are here to connect, inspire and grow together”, said Carolina Bugaian, Chair of the Moldovan Association of Women.

Over the last four years, ODA programmes dedicated to female entrepreneurs have had a significant impact at national level. More than 11800 women benefited from different forms of support, which has accelerated the development of their businesses. Over the same period, more than 1,300 grants were offered for digitalisation, retrofitting and optimising production processes. These interventions supported the modernisation of women-managed companies and improved their competitiveness.

Since spring 2023, ODA also implements the EU4SMEs project, funded by the European Union. Since the start of the project, 384 business out of the 1300 grants awarded through the programmes managed ODA have been financed. EU grants are EUR 7.1 million and investment in the economy is over EUR 15 million.

A central element of the project is the promotion of equal opportunities. 38 % of the beneficiary enterprises are founded and managed by women. Around 80 % of the business supported by the European Union is located in rural areas.

At the same time, 270 entrepreneurs took loans under the Government Programme 373, while more than 460 guarantees were provided via the Credit Guarantee Fund, which improved access to finance and reduced investment risks.

On the professional development side, more than 9400 participants were trained in areas such as management, marketing, finance or digital transformation, strengthening the skills needed to lead to efficient and competitive businesses.

Almost 100 women benefited from mentoring programmes, with access to tailor-made expertise and strategic guidance, and 340 entrepreneurs received subsidies for participation in national exhibitions, increasing their visibility and access to new collaborative networks.

At the global level, the “International Wendy Diamond Day” was initiated in 2014 by the US Entreprementation Wendy Diamond. The first edition was marked at the UN headquarters and was accompanied by events held simultaneously in more than 140 countries.

For more information on business support programmes, visit the official website www.oda.md or contact the ODA Consultation Centre at phone number: 022 22 57 99.