January 31, 2011
Gulnara Karimova, the Chairperson of the Fund Forum`s Board of Trustees, presented money grants to twenty budding businessmen during the Young Entrepreneurs Forum organized by the Fund Forum and “Kelajak ovozi” (Voice of the future) Youth Initiative Center with assistance from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, the National Association of Microfinance Organizations and Credit Unions (NAMOCU), the British Council in Uzbekistan and the Council of Credit Union Federation. Also, 28 women received microcredits for the development of business in their respective regions.
The event, which was attended by as many as 400 people, focused on the analysis of projects as well as development trends and strategies under the Year of Small Business and Private Entrepreneurship Program.
The first part of the one-day event offered a series of training sessions led by finance specialists. The “Crediting” section provided the participants with detailed and useful information about crediting opportunities in Uzbekistan. During “Taxation” section the audience was introduced to the rules and crediting-related practice in Uzbekistan from the vantage point of economists and businessmen. Financial Education section gave saw the audience look into the state and opportunities of financial education in Uzbekistan both for the broad public and specialists.
Note: The Forum was attended by representatives of the business community, professors, ministers, academicians, corresponding members of academies, heads of leading Uzbek banks, representatives of governmental and international organizations, financial institutions and NGOs, journalists as well as professionals from the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and India.
The second part of the forum served as a platform for youngsters to express their views and opinions, with professionals and experts delivering speeches and providing useful information.
High-profile guests attending the event included Kazuhiko Higuchi, ADB Country Director; Alisher Shaikhov, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan; A. Aripov, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan; A. Haitov, Minister of Labor and Social Maintenance; Sh. Haidarov, Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan; Deputy Chairman of the Tax Committee of Uzbekistan; E. Gadoyev, rector of the Tax Academy; and J. Saifiddinov, Chairman of Microcreditbank among others. Speaking at the forum, these professionals and experts provided an authentic and detailed picture of the finance and employment situation and specialist training as well as the tax climate in Uzbekistan. Their speeches provided valuable information that the audience and alumni of the Young Entrepreneurs School may rely on in making decisions related to their business plans and boosting their business.
The professionals` speeches were followed by those of representatives and alumni of the Young Entrepreneurs School who provided a report on their activities and achievements. The general presentation and report on the activities of the School was given by Tursunhoja Yunushojayev, an alumnus. Those gathered also learned of the activities of the Youth Employment Center, with a presentation done by Center Coordinator Gulchekhra Jurayeva. The School staff was represented by trainer Alisher Islamov.
Note: So far, 130 young men and girls have participated in the Young Entrepreneurs Support Program. 32% of this number have set up their own business, 14% have become business trainers, 19% have been hired by leading companies in the country and 11% are currently having their business entities registered. During the Youth Forum held on November 19, 2010 in Tashkent, ten winners were awarded grants to the tune of 10 million soums. Three of the winners got an opportunity to do an internship abroad. A Business Club operates under the program with the aim of helping set up contacts among budding businessmen.
The forum also included a ceremony to award the winners of the project “Boosting the social status of women through providing assistance in the realization of innovative business ideas”, which was organized by the Women`s Council, Mehr Nuri and NAMOCU. Under the project 28 women from Uzbekistan regions were given certificates entitling them to 182.7 mln soums worth of microcredits.
The third, final, part of the event featured concluding speeches. More specifically, Artyom Rasulov, an alumnus of the YES, who is currently director of his own firm, told those gathered about how the School and the knowledge he gained helped him launch and develop his business.
The event concluded with an address by Professor Gulnara Karimova, the chairperson of the Fund Forum`s Board of Trustees, who summarized the forum. Karimova and representatives of the banking sphere handed 20 mln soums worth of grants to 20 alumni of the Young Entrepreneurs School.
Related links
A Large Scale Forum in Tashkent