The project, funded by BMZ and implemented with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC), aims to strengthen the economic participation of women in selected provinces of Laos between 2025 and 2028. EMPOWER focuses on women entrepreneurs in rural provinces, particularly Luang Namtha and Salavan. Building on local potential in crafts, agriculture, and food processing, the project works with BDS providers, associations, NGOs, and public institutions to improve the legal environment and reform processes, gender-responsive and -transformative support services, strengthen local value chains, and enhance women's visibility in the economy. Special attention is given to women from ethnic minorities, women with disabilities, and those facing multiple forms of discrimination, while engaging men as change agents to support sustainable transformation.

81321659_1-Strengthening BDS Providers and Value Chains for Women"s Economic Empowerment

The EMPOWR project will provide a range of advisory, facilitation and capacity-building to support women economic empowerment in selected provinces in Laos. The project will focus on four key areas: - Output 1: The project will strengthen reform processes and the enabling environment for women's economic empowerment by advising MoIC and sector ministries on gender-responsive policies, fostering public-private dialogue, improving use of gender data, and building women's leadership capacities. - Output 2: The project will improve the availability and quality of gender-responsive and -transformative support services by capacitating BDS providers and intermediary organisations, co-developing new offers where gaps exist, and promoting digital and green skills for women. - Output 3: The project will strengthen women's producer groups and value chains in high-participation sectors by enhancing product quality, collective business capacities, and market access, supported by peer learning and women champions. - Output 4: The project will support increasing visibility of women's economic contributions through media, role models, and digital/physical platforms that showcase women"s products and entrepreneurial success. The contractor will provide advisory services in areas such as women economic empowerment, development of Business Development Service (BDS) provider markets and value chain development. The contractor will combine on-the-ground facilitation with advisory inputs and trainings.