This year’s theme “Women for sustainable development” brought together about 100 successful women entrepreneurs in Albania and in the Diaspora.

The Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, in his opening remarks said that investments and reforms have made Tirana a city where a woman can do business more easily and unhindered.

Speaking about gender equality, Veliaj said that women account for 75% of the government.

Veliaj also touched upon Iran’s cyberattacks against our country.
“Digitalization is associated with risks. We have been the target of a massive attack. Albania is a host country for the Iranian opposition, just as it was for the Jews during the World War II, or for 4 thousand Afghans. This is a value-based system that we have inherited from our grandparents, but we must change the approach in a digital market to respond to the attacks of modern times,” he said.
The Diaspora Business Women’s Summit is being organized for the third time in a row.
According to the Albanian Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), the number of women in business management positions remains significantly lower than men’s.

Women make up 45.7% of the total workforce and mainly work in the economic activity “Other Services”, where they make up 54.9% of them. Although the data shows a slight improvement, doing business in Albania still remains challenging for women.

On the other hand, the potential of Albanian female entrepreneurs abroad remains almost untapped.

Therefore, it is crucial for female entrepreneurs of the Albanian Diaspora – including young professionals, academics, business experts, representatives of state institutions and international organizations – to come together and propose solutions for the current situation.
/sm/