The Ministry of Economy and Tourism held a virtual roundtable titled “Enhancing Startup Growth and Empowering the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem.” The event aimed to create a dialogue platform for sharing insights and experiences regarding the entrepreneurial landscape in the UAE, particularly focusing on opportunities for startups led by women entrepreneurs to support their growth and expansion in both local and global markets.
Bedour Almeidour, Assistant Undersecretary for Support Services at the Ministry of Economy and Tourism, attended the roundtable alongside representatives from national entities and the private sector. Almeidour emphasized that the UAE, guided by the vision of its leadership, recognizes that the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sector, along with entrepreneurship, is a crucial driver for building a knowledge-based, innovative, diverse, and competitive economy. This commitment reflects the nation’s strong focus on enhancing the sustainability and diversity of the national economy and fostering sustainable growth pathways.
She stated, “The Ministry of Economy continues its efforts in developing an advanced legislative and regulatory framework to support national entrepreneurship, enhance effective communication with women entrepreneurs, and listen to the challenges they face, while working with partners to find practical and swift solutions.”
Almeidour shared an array of initiatives and projects being implemented by the Ministry of Economy and Tourism to empower women entrepreneurs, highlighting programs designed to enhance the skills of female business leaders, particularly through the National Program for Small and Medium Enterprises. She also addressed the efforts being made to improve access for women entrepreneurs to financing and markets.
The Emirates Development Bank presented an overview of available financing tools and capital access mechanisms, along with practical solutions that facilitate startups’ access to various funding sources.
Discussions also covered the actions taken by Emirates NBD to support women entrepreneurs, which include waiving loan deferral fees, providing international shipping services for business cards, and offering a 30% discount on letter of credit and guarantee fees.