WEF 2026: Investing in women’s employment is key to future-proof economies - industry chair Ebru Ozdemir

Investing in women’s employment is the most efficient way to build a resilient, inclusive and future-proof economy, Ebru Ozdemir, chairperson of the Board of Limak Holding and chair of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Engineering and Construction Industry Group, has said.

In an article written ahead of the annual Davos summit, Ozdemir stressed that reskilling and upskilling programmes must be gender-focused to keep pace with the rapidly evolving digital economy.





As per news agency ANI, she also underlined the need to integrate more women into STEM professions to secure the human capital required to tackle planetary-scale challenges.

“We cannot achieve a sustainable economy without gender parity in STEM. Putting women at the forefront of engineering and technology is the most crucial investment for growth and resilience,” she wrote in the article.

Women in STEM crucial for global challenges

In her article titled ‘From digital divide to investment dividend: Why women are the key to a future-proof workforce’, Ozdemir argued that investment in women and girls should be seen not as a social expense but as the highest-return capital expenditure for a resilient and inclusive economy.

“The foundational truth remains: Investing in women is investing in humanity's most underutilised economic engine,” she wrote, according to ANI.

She added that investing in the skills of female engineers is not just about social justice, but the most direct way to secure specialised human capital needed to address trillion-dollar global problems.

“It’s how we ensure that our infrastructure investment is not just built, but built sustainably and inclusively,” she said.

The World Economic Forum will hold its 56th Annual Meeting in Davos from January 19 to January 23, 2026.

The meeting will bring together nearly 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue,” amid heightened geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty and rapid technological change.