Minister of FAMILY and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, in his speech at the Balkans Women Entrepreneurs Meeting held in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, said that women are not only users of technology; Stating that they want women to be developers, entrepreneurs, investors and decision makers, he said, “We see women’s entrepreneurship as one of the basic elements of social development and family welfare.”
Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş spoke at the World Turkish Business Council (DTİK) Balkans Women Entrepreneurs Meeting held in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. Minister Göktaş expressed his satisfaction in meeting entrepreneurial women from all over the Balkans under the same roof and noted that women in the region are not only producing today, they are establishing companies, creating employment, developing technology and opening up to new markets.
Stating that women’s ideas, labor, courage and entrepreneurial spirit have been added to the bridges of love that have connected the two geographies for centuries, Minister Göktaş emphasized that women’s entrepreneurship contributes to the establishment of new economic bridges and said, “Our duty is to bring this courage together with opportunity, labor with opportunity and intellectual capital.”
Pointing out that the world is going through a major transformation with digitalization, artificial intelligence, data economy and new production models, Göktaş said that countries that are outside this transformation may lose their competitiveness. Making evaluations about the role of women in the economy of the future, Göktaş said, “Where will women be in the economy of the future? Only among those who use technology? Or among those who develop technology, invest, establish companies and determine the rules of the future? We prefer the second way. We want women to be developers, entrepreneurs, investors and decision makers of technology, not just users.”
Stating that women’s strong participation in economic life affects their families, the society they live in and the welfare of their country, Minister Göktaş said, “This is why we see women’s entrepreneurship as one of the basic elements of social development and family welfare.”
‘THIS IS A DEVELOPMENT AND SECURITY ISSUE’
Pointing out that women are still not represented at the desired level in the decision-making mechanisms of artificial intelligence, data science, engineering and technology companies, Minister Göktaş stated that this is not just a matter of representation. Göktaş said, “This is a development issue. It is a matter of competition, justice, and also a security issue. Because whoever develops technology largely determines the rules of the future world.”
Noting that data sets and technology teams where women are not adequately represented may not accurately reflect the needs of the whole society, Göktaş emphasized that girls should be introduced to the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, women’s digital skills should be developed, and their access to financing and investment support for technology-based business ideas should be facilitated.
Stating that in the last 25 years, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, revolutionary reforms have been implemented to remove the obstacles for women from education to employment, from politics to entrepreneurship, Minister Göktaş explained that they have implemented the ‘Women’s Empowerment Strategy Document and Action Plan’ covering the period 2024-2028 in order to further strengthen the position of women in economic and social life. Göktaş stated that they support women’s entrepreneurship journeys with the ‘Women’s Move in Sustainable Development’ and ‘Rising Women: My Own Business, My Trace’ programs.
‘WE CAN CREATE A BALKANS WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP NETWORK’
Stating that a new economic cooperation model can be established between Turkey and the Balkans through women entrepreneurs, Minister Göktaş stated that the young and entrepreneurial human resources of the Balkans can be brought together with Türkiye’s strong industrial infrastructure, entrepreneurship ecosystem and technology capacity. Göktaş continued his speech as follows:
“We can create a Balkans women’s entrepreneurship network. So that a female entrepreneur in Skopje can reach an investor in Istanbul. An entrepreneur in Pristina can develop a joint project with a woman in Sarajevo. Even a woman in Sofia can expand to Central Asia, the Gulf or Africa. A technology startup in Türkiye can reach new markets with female entrepreneurs in the Balkans. Let’s produce together. Let’s invest together, create new “Let’s expand into markets. Because we want to build the ties between Türkiye and the Balkans not only on the memories of our past, but also on the common successes of the future.”
Emphasizing that Turkey will continue to support citizens and compatriots wherever they live and support women’s entrepreneurship journeys, Minister Göktaş later attended the special session titled ‘The Power of Women, the Future of Entrepreneurship’. Göktaş answered the questions of the participants by explaining the activities aimed at improving women’s entrepreneurial capacities, facilitating their access to finance and markets, increasing their digital skills and involving them in international business networks.
