Minister for Small Business John Perry has highlighted the importance of encouraging more women who have the motivation, skills and ability to start their own business.
The Minister was speaking following his meeting with Irish Ambassadors for Female Entrepreneurship who have been appointed by the European Commission to promote and encourage more women to become entrepreneurs and to set up businesses.
Following the meeting Minister Perry said: “The recently launched Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM ) Report for Ireland for 2010 recognised that fewer women than men are active as entrepreneurs, with the rate of early stage entrepreneurship among men at 9.5 per cent compared to 3.9 per cent for women.
“It is therefore vitally important that we provide the right environment to foster the development of this untapped female entrepreneurial talent across all sectors of Irish business.
“I believe that the Ambassadors for Female Entrepreneurship can play an important role in stimulating growth in our economy and this government will play its part in providing support to small and medium business and encouraging female entrepreneurship.”
“I have asked the ambassadors to attend meetings of the Small Business Advisory Group as appropriate, and I have assured them of an ‘open door’ policy in terms of meeting them on a regular basis,” Minister Perry added. “I also have asked them to identify the three most important issues impacting on female entrepreneurs.”
