Albanian 
Prishtinë, November 15, 2018 – Within the numerous events organized during the Global Entrepreneurship Week, the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo organized a roundtable discussion on women entrepreneurs in our Kosovar society, discussing the challenges and opportunities for women in entrepreneurship, but also in the labor market in Kosovo.
Arian Zeka, AmCham Executive Director, initially said that, besides discussing the empowerment of women in entrepreneurship, more work should be done in providing opportunities to further include them in the labor force in Kosovo as well as encourage them to develop their business ideas.
Ardiana Bunjaku, Executive Director of the Society of Certified Accountants and Certified Auditors of Kosovo (SCAAK), shared her story on her journey in order to achieve success in entrepreneurship. She informed the participants that although her professional development dated back during a time when her profession was dominated by men, she was not discouraged by that. In fact, Bunjaku said that devotion, willingness, courage, and positive approach to the profession influenced her to continue her professional development. She encouraged the participants not to be reluctant in developing their business ideas, and to display and apply their skills at work.
Melita Ymeraga, Founder and Business Development Manager at Melita & Partners, stated that despite the challenges in entrepreneurship that both women and men face, hard work and commitment guarantee success. She said that one of the key factors to achieve success in this area is working on ourselves to grow professionally, because “exhaustion, commitment, and the sacrifices to get there are the steps that get us out of the comfort zone, therefore, achieve tremendous success.”
Furthermore, Shemsije Dërmaku, Owner of Grand Décor, claimed that although they will face many challenges at the beginning, women should be determined and encouraged to be included in the labor force and develop their businesses. Whereas, Teuta Kurshumlija, Sales Manager at Stone Castle, also stated that gaining skills that result in higher professional development does not end within a short period of time, but it continues throughout the entire life, encouraging the youth to be more enthusiastic to work and develop their business ideas in their country.