ASTANA – The fourth plenary session of the Global Businesswomen Council on July 2 in Astana announced plans to launch the G-Index Institute, an independent research and analytical platform designed to develop the methodological base for women’s entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan.
The fourth plenary session of the Global Businesswomen Council. Photo credit: Nargiz Raimbekova/ The Astana Times “If public policy has already identified the development of human capital, production localization, SME participation in supply chains, job creation and regional development as priorities, the next question is how to move from a broad agenda to practical solutions.
For that, high-quality analytics are essential,” said Zhanna Baidasheva, founder of the council. She noted it is important to understand where industrial demand is emerging, which areas have potential for localization, which suppliers are ready to grow, which skills need to be developed, and where women’s participation can generate the greatest socioeconomic impact.
She noted that women account for 48.5% of SMEs in Kazakhstan. Baidasheva stressed that G-Index is not designed as a ranking, certification system, financial instrument or supplier selection mechanism. “Its purpose is to create an objective analytical picture, identify patterns, economic opportunities, limitations and potential areas for development for further consideration by government agencies, businesses, international organizations and development institutions,” she explained.
The council meeting brought together representatives of international financial institutions, the United Nations, government agencies, national companies, international corporations, investors, and development institutions. Status of women as an indicator of progressive state Addressing the meeting participations in a video message, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva emphasized that the status of women is one of the markers of a progressive state, and that protecting women’s rights must remain an unconditional priority of public policy.
According to Balayeva, who also chairs the National Commission on Women’s Affairs and Family and Demographic Policy under the President, women are playing an increasingly prominent role in the economy. “Today, more than one million women entrepreneurs are registered in Kazakhstan.
Women head nearly half of small and medium-sized businesses and account for more than a third of employment in the sector. These figures show the significant role women play in developing entrepreneurship and contributing to the national economy,” she said. At the same time, women-led businesses are still concentrated largely in the service sector.
Women also remain underrepresented in large-scale and high-tech entrepreneurship.