Women at the Heart of Change: Shaping Entrepreneurship and Green Innovation in Türkiye

Synopsis

The World Bank is supporting Türkiye in fostering inclusive and sustainable economic opportunities, particularly for women. This includes strengthening women-led and -owned businesses, promoting female employment in green transition sectors, delivering evidence-based entrepreneurship training, and addressing barriers to women's access to finance and economic participation. Since 2021, the Social Entrepreneurship, Empowerment, and Cohesion Project (SEECO) has supported more than 10,000 beneficiaries, including over 4,000 trained in business development (65% women), and provided subgrants to 1,100 women entrepreneurs (73%). Building on these results, the Socially Inclusive Green Transition Project (SOGREEN), which was launched in 2025, is expected to provide financial support to more than 4,900 Micro, Small, and Medium enterprises (MSMEs) (60% women-owned or women-led), and develop 175 community facilities, providing services such as childcare, safe transportation, and social entrepreneurship hubs, with 50% female participation.

Key Highlights

• Since 2021, the Social Entrepreneurship, Empowerment, and Cohesion Project (SEECO) has provided entrepreneurship training to over 4,000 women and youth in refugee and host communities in 11 provinces.
• The Socially Inclusive Green Transition Project (SOGREEN) builds on these results and will offer reimbursable financing to more than 1,800 small and medium enterprises (SMEs), of which 60% of are women-led or women-owned and offering business incubation and acceleration grants to over 3,000 entrepreneurs, with the same percentage of women beneficiaries.
• SEECO has established 14 community facilities and expects to establish 76 more, providing services such as childcare, safe transportation, and social entrepreneurship hubs. SOGREEN will advance these efforts by developing 175 green community economic facilities with a similar, gender-responsive design.

Challenge

Türkiye faces challenges in fostering inclusive economic opportunities, particularly for women. As of 2023, female labor force participation was just 35%. Women also have limited access to finance—63% have bank accounts versus 85% of men. Female-led businesses face stricter collateral demands than men and have limited access to information about available financial support and resources. Moreover, women typically bear the bulk of the care burden, which can limit their access to economic opportunities. Regional disparities and institutional gaps deepen inequalities. Women and youth lack the skills and access required to benefit from emerging green job opportunities, hindering equitable growth.

Approach

The SEECO and SOGREEN projects aim to promote inclusive economic opportunities, reduce inequalities, and support Türkiye's green transition.

The SEECO and SOGREEN projects integrate comprehensive, gender-sensitive interventions to empower women by addressing barriers to access to finance, information, skills, and social capital. Both projects are implemented by Türkiye’s Ministry of Industry and Technology and regional Development Agencies, with technical support from the World Bank.

Both projects incentivize female-led and -owned enterprises and encourage enterprises to hire more women. For example, SEECO sought to provide 70% of financial grants to social enterprises that are managed by or benefit women. SEECO also targets women and youth in refugee and host communities, tackling barriers to economic participation through tailored entrepreneurship training and financial subgrants. SOGREEN will provide reimbursable financing to more than 1,800 SMEs, along with grants, ensuring that 60% of beneficiaries are women-owned or women-led businesses.

To address knowledge barriers faced by female entrepreneurs, the projects deliver personal initiative entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy, climate resilience, and legal and business planning modules. These interventions are grounded in global evidence, informed by detailed local needs assessments and market studies, and are proven to enhance women’s skills and empower enterprises to establish and grow successfully.

Additionally, SEECO promotes women’s inclusion by providing childcare services at livelihood facilities (for example, entrepreneurship centers, food production workshops, co-working spaces, artisan marketplaces and others). The project also provides free and safe transportation for women to these facilities. Male family members of women participants are also involved to enhance buy-in and support for women’s participation in the project. SOGREEN is replicating and scaling up these approaches nationwide and will also integrate women into decision-making processes for the design of livelihood facilities, ensuring 50% participation of women in these planning activities.

The work of the projects would not be possible without enhancing the capacity of local government institutions, such as Development Agencies, to support sustainable livelihoods for the most vulnerable women. SEECO and SOGREEN have allocated financing to improve local capacity to implement interventions targeting women.

Results

Increased female employment has played a significant role in driving economic growth in Türkiye over the past two decades. With their focus on women’s economic empowerment, SEECO and SOGREEN address inequalities, enhance institutional capacity, and enable marginalized groups to participate in equitable, sustainable economic development.

Since 2021, the project has benefited over 4,000 participants, established 14 community facilities, and initiated 76 more, including in areas affected by the 2023 earthquakes. These efforts promote social cohesion, support economic recovery in vulnerable regions, and enable sustainable livelihoods.

SOGREEN expands on SEECO’s achievements by embedding green and inclusive growth into Türkiye’s development trajectory. It expects to provide reimbursable financing to more than 1,800 SMEs and business grants to over 3,100 entrepreneurs, with 60% targeting women-led or women-owned businesses. The project will establish 175 green community facilities and enhance financial institutions’ capacity through gender-inclusive training. By facilitating women’s and youth’s entry into green jobs, SOGREEN strengthens human capital and promotes inclusive growth.

World Bank Group Contribution

SEECO is funded by a $48.04 million grant from the European Union Facility for Refugees in Türkiye (FRiT), which targets vulnerable refugee and host communities, particularly women, to enhance social entrepreneurship and livelihoods. SOGREEN is financed by a $400 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).

Partnerships

Partnerships with financial institutions promote equitable access to finance for women and youth-led enterprises, driving inclusive economic growth, reducing regional disparities, and integrating gender and climate priorities into local development. These partnerships operate by facilitating tailored financial support, namely entrepreneurship grants and reimbursable financing support, while providing technical assistance to ensure the unique needs of women and youth entrepreneurs are addressed.

Looking Ahead

The Türkiye CPF focuses on scaling inclusive economic opportunities and supporting the country’s green transition. Future efforts will aim to enhance women’s workforce participation, improve financial access for underserved groups, and build institutional capacity for gender-inclusive, climate-resilient development. Sustainability is ensured by embedding initiatives into national policies and strengthening local institutions. Successful approaches from SEECO and SOGREEN, such as tailored entrepreneurship support and gender-responsive facilities, may be replicated in similar contexts across the ECA region in the future (for example by fostering regional integration and resilience to economic and climate challenges).