Photo: yuz.uz.
Uzbekistan’s government will allocate 2 trillion sums (more than $168 million) over the next two years to support roughly six thousand entrepreneurial projects led by women. The measure is outlined in a presidential decree signed by Shavkat Mirziyoyev on December 3, according to the Justice Ministry.
The funds will be distributed through Hamroh, a company created to support women’s entrepreneurship. The program is planned for 2026 and 2027.
Hamroh will also be responsible for training 2,800 women in the basics of business and providing comprehensive assistance to another 2,000 women as they launch their own ventures.
The decree further details steps to expand the work of women’s employment and health centers in mahallas (local communities), which operate under district or city administrations as well as the Family and Women’s Affairs departments in all regions. These centers will host vocational training courses, clothing and confectionery workshops, and fitness and shaping classes.
Additional support measures for women entrepreneurs will take effect on January 1, 2026. Commercial banks will launch a lending program offering loans of up to 25 basic calculation units (10.3 million sums, or $866). The interest rate will be set at 10 percentage points above the Central Bank’s base rate (currently 14% per year).
Eligible borrowers include companies led by women or small and medium-sized businesses that employ at least 10 people and have women making up at least half of their founders.
The National Business Guarantee Company will serve as guarantor for these loans, covering at least 70 percent of their value.
The Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan will provide the necessary resources to the company in the form of a seven-year loan at the Central Bank’s base rate, with a three-year grace period. These funds will then be directed to banks for lending to women entrepreneurs on the same terms, but at the Central Bank’s base rate plus 4 percent — or 18 percent annually.
