Representatives of IOM Albania Programme 'Engage the Albanian Diaspora to the Social and Economic Development of Albania' participated in the  "Businesswomen Summit", held on 16-18 January 2020, organized by Albanian State Minister for Diaspora and Albanian National Fund of Diaspora, in cooperation with Albanian Ministry of Finance and Economy.

Ms. Aferdite Shani, IOM Diaspora Programme Focal Point in Tuscany, Italy, was invited to be part of the second panel “The challenges of diaspora woman in business”, where she shared with the representatives the main pillars of the Programme, which always consider the gender equality, as well as the impact, challenges and the opportunities for Albanian Diaspora women in Italy.

“While Italy has a lot to improve regarding gender equality, Albanian Diaspora women enjoy an excellent position for their presence in the business environment. According to the data of 2018, out of 33, 000 business owned by Albanian Diaspora entrepreneurs, there were 3,600 business units opened and/or led by women,”[1] noted Ms. Shani. “Additionally, according to Albanian out of 174 Albanian candidates for local and national elections in Italy in 2019, more than 50% were women (87) [2]. This is a strong signal of the skills, competences, leadership and the power of women to undertake initiatives to support not only their families but also their communities where they live, as well as their country of origin.”

Knowing the huge potential of women and being very sensitive to gender equality, IOM Albania Diaspora Programme has given an important space and has actively engaged women in all the related initiatives undertaken so far. Ms. Shani is one of the 50% of females engaged in the programme, contributing to the social and economic development of Albania.

"Businesswomen Summit" was a good opportunity to share with the women who participated in this event the Connect Albania mechanism. This innovative mechanism foresees, within the Albanian Diaspora Chamber of Commerce, the Support Unit, composed by 2 legal experts and 1 economist who will serve as front desk/office of diaspora foreign investments interest, but not limited to.

In addition, members of Albanian Diaspora in Italy, for the first time, will have the opportunity to serve as “Development Agents/Connectors”, to bring investments into their home country. The successful Development Agents/Connectors will be rewarded based on the criteria which are being identified.
This will be a unique opportunity for the huge untapped potential of Albanian Diaspora women.

The Programme 'Engage the Albanian Diaspora to the Social and Economic Development of Albania' is implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Albania, the UN Migration Agency, with funding from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in coordination with the Albanian State Minister for Diaspora, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Economy through Albanian Investment Development Agency (AIDA).