Women entrepreneurs trade fair begins

Women Business Development Centre (WBDC), Khyber Pakhtunkwa is organising a two-day inter-provincial summer trade fair to facilitate women entrepreneurs which was inaugurated by Minister for Social Welfare & Women Development, Khyber Pakhtunkwa, Sitara Ayaz at a local hotel, here on Saturday.
Javed Iqbal Khattak, provincial Small & Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda), Nabeela Farman, Project Manager WBDC and a large number of women entrepreneurs were present. More than 40 stalls were set up. Cloths, jewellery, bangles, decoration pieces, traditional pots, bed sheet sets, ladies bags, and multiple handmade stuff of women entrepreneurs from all over the country were on display. The exhibition remained continued throughout the day.
Kiran Khan, a visitor praised the initiative of WBDC and Smeda for organising this event. She said that there was a need to organise more events to encourage women entrepreneurs. Talking to the media, Khyber Pakhtunkwa Minister for Social Welfare & Women Development, Sitara Ayaz said that the main objective of the exhibition was to encourage local women entrepreneurs to promote their products at national level. She said that it was a first ever step to hold inter-provincial women businesspersons exhibition in the province.
The minister said that they would organise such events in Swat, Abbottabad and rest of the province as well in the near future. Earlier, she said that it was encouraging that the Smeda has taken step despite prevailing poor law and order situation in the province. She said the women were contributing in economic development of the country.
Ayaz said that women in Khyber Pakhtunkwa were very talented that is why the government has provided different platforms to encourage and promote their work at both national and international level. Nabeela Farman, Project Manager WBDC in her welcome note said that the active participants of women businesspersons had showed their potential and interest in promoting their products. The WBDC had played an important role for the past one year to promote women business. She said that women entrepreneurs' had promoted their business at national and international level under the proposed guideline and technical training provided through WBDC.
She thanked Khyber Pakhtunkwa Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KP-CCI) along with co-sponsors Profession Academy of Commerce (PAC), Pepsi, and R-sheen for their financial support to make the event successful. Noushaba Noor, Executive member, KP-CCI said that women were immensely contributing in economic development of the country.