Almaty Hosts Central Asia International Summit for Womenpreneurs

• The AWE Central Asia Summit took place in Almaty on October 31 
• There were women entrepreneurs and leaders from Central Asia and the United States 
• The summit was intended to promote leadership and business skills development for women 

The AWE Summit for Women Entrepreneurs, or the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, held its Central Asia International Summit in Almaty on October 31, bringing together women entrepreneurs, AWE alumni, international organizations, businesses and government representatives from throughout Central Asia and the United States to foster partnerships toward further collaboration in women’s leadership and business development opportunities.  

AWE is a U.S. Department of State global initiative to support women through business education and networking that has spent over 25,000 women in over 100 countries and counting.  

This program has been in Kazakhstan since 2021, and is supported by the U.S. Diplomatic Mission, partners include Chevron and Coca-Cola.  

Representatives from those partner companies shared ideas on how investing to strengthen women entrepreneurs helped to strengthen families, communities, and national economies as well.  

Under the program, many established business owners have also launched their businesses, created jobs, and received professional training and financial access. 

The summit featured several panels, engaging activities, and masterclasses with U.S. and Central Asia specialists. Participants outlined successful ventures, addressed some challenges around access to finance and investment, and examined new business development and social impact strategies. 

The AWE Central Asia Summit showed that collaboration among government, businesses, and civil society is vital toward improving the enabling environment for women entrepreneurs and achieving inclusive economic development.