24 July 2025
Women’s role in ICT strengthens: “Digital Entrepreneurship” competition concludes with final stage and awards ceremony.
On July 24, 2025, the final stage and awards ceremony of the “Digital Entrepreneurship” competition took place within the framework of the “Women in ICT” initiative. The competition was organized by the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport and the Innovation and Digital Development Agency.
The event began with project presentations by the 11 finalists and continued with speeches by government officials.
In her address, Bahar Muradova, Chair of the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, emphasized the need for broader and more systematic support to enhance women’s access to innovation and the digital economy. She highlighted that this competition was launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport and the Innovation and Digital Development Agency to support these goals.
Samir Mammadov, Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport, also spoke during the event, noting the ministry’s ongoing efforts to make the ICT sector more accessible to women:
“The ICT sector and digitalization are not only key drivers of technological advancement today but also hold a strategic position in state policy. As the Ministry, we implement consistent and purposeful measures to ensure that this field is accessible to all citizens, including women. Notably, in recent years, over 4,000 women have benefited from the Innovation and Digital Development Agency’s scholarship programs and projects in the ICT sector.”
Following the speeches, the jury announced the three winners based on evaluation criteria, and they were awarded diplomas and prizes.
- 1st place – Kamala Ashumova for the project “Integration of Artificial Intelligence into the Women’s Support Line”
- 2nd place – Suraya Aliyeva for the project AgroFemTech
- 3rd place – Leman Khalilzade for the project Carelink
Projects were evaluated by the jury based on criteria such as innovation, applicability, social impact, technical justification, and presentation skills.
It should be noted that the aim of the competition was to encourage women’s participation in ICT and enhance their digital skills, while supporting socially impactful ideas developed by women.