The meeting brought together key stakeholders, including representatives of the Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan, the UN Development Programme, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and other project partners.

The event presented the key results of the project for 2023:

- 304 young women from 13 regions received training on digitalisation of business processes, enabling them to manage their entrepreneurial initiatives more effectively.

- 160 youth start-ups, including 35 female start-ups, received business education and development support, strengthening their market position.

- In 8 regions, 24 private training centres implemented digital solutions to automate business processes, significantly improving their efficiency.

- 853 young people from rural areas improved their digital skills, enhancing their employability and economic participation.

In addition, the project developed 3 methodological guidelines for launching and running business incubation and startup accelerator programmes, and organised 4 public-private dialogue sessions to discuss problems and solutions in venture capital financing and startup ecosystem development.

The project also supported the development of an analytical report on operationalisation of the climate finance mechanism in Uzbekistan, and prepared 10 video lessons on venture financing.

The project is actively working to create a favourable digital environment and strengthen institutional capacity for youth entrepreneurship development in Uzbekistan, which contributes to the overall digital transformation of the country's economy.

In addition, participants reviewed and discussed plans for the remainder of 2024, such as:

- Developing and delivering digital capability training for youth-led businesses.

- Developing and implementing a bespoke digital apprenticeship programme for young women.

- Supporting the organisation of startup events (Startup Weekend Central Asia, PizzaPitch XL Women, Pizza Pitch XL and others).

- Supporting the development of a national data strategy and providing guidance on artificial intelligence strategies.

- Development of a Digital Citizen platform to measure the digital literacy of the population.

- Institutionalisation of acceleration programmes in selected higher education institutions in Uzbekistan together with the Ministry of Higher Education.

- Developing a set of tools and regulations to establish a public private dialogue (PPD) platform and holding a PPD model session with public and private stakeholders.

- Supporting the establishment of a local angel investor club together with private ecosystem actors.

- Continued support to the Ministry of Economy and Finance in the implementation of the Pilot Regulatory Sandbox Programme for Financial Services in Uzbekistan together with the Korea Development Institute.

The Board expressed satisfaction with the results achieved and reaffirmed its commitment to support Uzbekistan's digital transformation goals. The project will continue to focus on expanding these initiatives in the coming period.

The Project Board will meet again at the end of the year to assess the achievements of the entire year and outline a plan for the next phase of project implementation.

Ministry of Economy and Finance

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