Women in Business programme to promote female entrepreneurship

Brussels is investing 500,000 euros in its Women in Business programme, which will offer mentoring and coaching for female entrepreneurs.

State secretaries Barbara Trachte (Ecolo) and Nawal Ben Hamou (PS) launched the second call for projects of the Women in Business programme on Thursday. The money provided by the city will be used to support private structures that propose mentoring projects, activities and events, support and coaching, especially in the form of business networks.

The budget available for each project ranges from 35,000 to 100,000 euros. A jury will select projects based on criteria such as the quality of the mentoring offered and the compatibility of the target group with the call's objective of inclusivity.

"Creating their own professional activity is a way for many Brussels women to emancipate themselves"

While the number of female entrepreneurs in Brussels has increased by 30 per cent in 10 years, there are still 2.5 times more men than women in self-employment in Brussels.

"Creating their own professional activity is a way for many Brussels women to emancipate themselves and, for some, to leave the informal economy," says Trachte, secretary of state for Economic Transition. "It's also a way to avoid discrimination in the labour market."

"The guidance offered by the Women in Business projects is essential to ensure that women, in all their diversity, can realise their professional interests concretely and thus ensure their economic and financial freedom," adds Ben Hamou, secretary of state for Equal Opportunities.

^{Nawal Ben Hamou, Pascal Smet and Barbara Trachte in the Brussels Parliament © BELGA PHOTO THIERRY ROGE}