Women entrepreneurs walked away with five of the seven awards at 2012 Fiji Development Bank Small Business last night.

FDB’s Chief Executive Officer Deve Toganivalu says this is a phenomenal achievement not only for women but for the business sector as a whole.

President, Ratu Epeli commended the women while handing out the awards to the winners.

“I am not only delighted to see that women are now entering the economic mainstream as key players, but I am also greatly encouraged that they are taking on the challenges of participating in the sectors that had been predominantly male oriented.”

Ratu Epeli adds these businesses can grow into large corporate entities if the winners are given the right mentoring and other opportunities.

There were a total of 151 entries.

There’re plans to include three more categories in the annual awards from next year.