The NICE-TAK project, funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, participated in running the annual Regional Women's Business Forum and the DESIGN DAYS EXPO, which was held at the Hyatt Regency Dushanbe Hotel in the first week of November.

The Regional Women's Business Forum and the DESIGN DAYS EXPO 2019 have been designed to pursue the same focus of their previous issues: the development of social entrepreneurship in the region. This decision is in line with the initiative of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan to hold the 2019-2021 years as – “The Years of Rural Development, Tourism and Folk Crafts”. Thus, the Forum’s aim was to identify and strengthen programs for the development of women's entrepreneurship in the rural areas of Central Asia, by supporting social entrepreneurship in tourism and crafts.

The Forum included a round table on “Development of handicraft business in Central Asia: From standardization of products to sales” where participants will discuss the main issues hindering handicraft development, and how to address them: through standardization of goods and shortening the distance between producer and consumer. At the round table, the Agency TajikStandard presented a Manual for Craft Goods Standardization, a publication that the agency has developed thanks to NICE-TAK support.

The Forum program for Day 2 included a number of open Master Classes on gender entrepreneurship, leadership and quality improvement of craft goods. Moreover, a NICE-TAK expert that participates in the Interministerial Working Group at the Ministry of Culture of the Kyrgyz Republic presented to the Tajik stakeholders a policy paper on how the Working Group, supported by NICE-TAK, has managed for two Kyrgyz regions to receive the World Craft Council “Craft Cities Award”.

The DESIGN DAYS EXPO 2019 exhibition-sale presented the work of designers and craftsmen from five Central Asian countries, including the new collections of the participants in the Business School of Design and Handicraft that is a component of the NICE-TAK Management Academy. These presentations delighted guests and Expo visitors with their quality, uniqueness and diversity. During the Forum, the exhibition-sale was open to all visitors from 09.00 to 18.00.

NICE-TAK (Networking Intermediaries & Competitive Enterprises in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan) project is implemented by an international consortium, led by sequa gGmbH (Germany) and including five Partners: International NGO CESVI (Italy), National Association of Small and Medium Business of Tajikistan (NASMB), National Association of Business Women of Tajikistan (NABWT), Union of Craftsmen of Tajikistan (UCT) – in Tajikistan – and Bishkek Business Club (BBC) – in Kyrgyzstan.

The overall goal of the project is to promote small and medium-sized enterprises in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan with a particular emphasis on the development of the handicraft sector. The goal is being achieved through capacity building and support of Tajik and Kyrgyz business intermediary organizations. 

Detailed information can be found on the official website of the event www.WBF.tj

For further information, please contact:

Nasiba Aminova – Executive director of NASMB, phone number: (+99293) 460 0053,

Email address: nasibakhon@mail.ru