From Ideas to Businesses: 36 Women Build Their Path Towards Economic Independence

28 May 2026— Ana Mullanji had long considered turning her talent for pottery and ceramics into a business. What she lacked was the confidence to take the first step.

“For me, the programme was the spark that turned the idea I had into reality and gave a clear shape to the new business I have just started,” Ana Mullanji said during her presentation in the final event of “Invest in Women” project that supported 36 women entrepreneurs to develop their business plans and gain knowledge and new skills.

Women from Albania’s capital, Tirana, and Durrës, a major coastal city, were part of this initiative for more than six months, gaining access to resources that helped them start or expand their economic activities. The project was implemented by UN Women and two local organizations, ARSIS and Balance Centre, through funding support from the UK Government.

For the project’s closing event, the women gathered in Krujë to share their experiences, reflect on their progress and discuss the support women need to establish and grow their businesses. The event brought together participants, institutional representatives, partner organizations and actors from the local entrepreneurship ecosystem.

“When we started this initiative, we had a clear conviction that women’s economic empowerment is not only about employment or income. It is about dignity, security, independence and meaningful participation in society,” said Ana Majko, Executive Director of Initiative for Social Change – ARSIS.

Women entrepreneurs represented a wide range of sectors, including hairdressing and beauty services, tailoring, clothing retail, handicrafts, jewellery and traditional costume production, photography, hospitality, children’s services and recycling initiatives.

The participants began their journey with an intensive 10-day training programme based on the internationally recognized CEFE (Competency-based Economies through Formation of Entrepreneurs) methodology, which helps develop entrepreneurial competencies through practical and interactive learning.

Through group training and individual mentorship, the women assessed the potential of their ideas, analysed markets, planned their finances and developed business plans tailored to their goals and circumstances.

The programme helped Xhemelina Korkaj, an experienced artisan from Krujë, to recognize that many of the activities she had learned and applied empirically through years of practice, were already part of business management.

“We were doing it, but we did not realize that what we were doing was management,” she said. “The trainers brought to us the theory and we brought the practical experience, and together we were able to bring that knowledge to the surface.”

Korkaj also spoke about the responsibilities that make running a business particularly challenging for women.

“Being a woman is difficult because you have many responsibilities, and running a business is very challenging,” she said. “Programmes and committed trainers like these are important because we leave here not only with equipment, but also with new skills.”

Michele Ribotta, UN Women Representative in Albania, highlighted the transformative value of investing in women’s economic empowerment, while noting the need to address deeply rooted inequalities such as the unequal share of unpaid care and domestic responsibilities carried by women.

“The double burden of developing a business while also being responsible for the household and the well-being of family members is a significant obstacle,” Ribotta said. “Investing in women and their economic empowerment benefits women, their families and their communities, while also helping preserve Albania’s rich cultural and traditional heritage.”

As a result of the programme, participants developed 36 individual business plans. Of these, 27 were designed to help existing businesses expand their activities and improve their performance, while nine supported new business ideas that are now in the process of formalization and registration.

Once the business plans were completed, the women received professional and technological equipment to improve, expand or launch their economic activities.

The combination of training, individual mentorship and tailored practical support was designed to address several of the interconnected barriers faced by women entrepreneurs, including those regarding access to information and finance.

Beyond strengthening their technical and financial skills, the project sought to increase the participants’ confidence, leadership capacities and ability to make decisions about their economic futures.

The closing event of the project combined institutional reflections with dialogue and experience-sharing among the participating women entrepreneurs.

“The United Kingdom remains strongly committed to advancing women’s economic empowerment as a foundation for inclusive and sustainable development,” said Dimpy Sanganee, Head of Migration Programme at the UK Embassy. “We will continue working with a range of partners to unlock good quality jobs and meaningful opportunities for growth.”

The initiative builds on an earlier “Invest in Women” programme, continuing efforts to provide women from vulnerable backgrounds with the knowledge, confidence and practical resources needed to develop their economic activities.