Women’s Business Center and Incubator Project

Abstract

Mongolia is a stable and growing democracy, with significant economic potential. Despite the economy’s high growth rate during the recent mining boom, it is an economy still in transition. A significant portion of Mongolia’s business sector is comprised of informal and small businesses, an area of potential growth. Women in Mongolia have higher university graduation rates than men. Yet women are less likely to start businesses and work in the formal labor force, making them an underutilized resource for economic growth. Indeed Mongolia’s economic future is tied to the ability of women to seize and expand opportunities in the marketplace. Recognizing this vast potential, creating an enabling environment for women’s entrepreneurship is central to advance women’s economic empowerment and significantly improve women’s lives, the lives of their families, and society as a whole. To address the critical need to build women entrepreneurs’ skills and capacity, The Asia Foundation is delivering a comprehensive suite of support services through the Women’s Business Center (WBC), the first of its kind in Mongolia, to help women start and grow their own businesses and to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem where women can thrive.