FPCCI president appreciates govt support to women entrepreneurs

KARACHI: President, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) , Mian Anjum Nisar on Friday acknowledged the government's focus and provision of various incentives for women businesses, which has increased their participation in economic activities.

“Increased share and willingness of women entrepreneurs in the economic development was highly appreciable. Government and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had designed effective policies and financial schemes for women entrepreneurs.

However, compliance on the same by commercial banks was not satisfactory”, observed FPCCI Chief during an interactive webinar on "Issues and Challenges Faced by Women Entrepreneurs organised by FPCCI here.

The webinar was facilitated and conducted by Vice Presidents FPCCI, Sheikh Sultan Rehman and Qaiser Khan Daduzai ,Coordinator Women Entrepreneurs FPCCI, Qaisra Sheikh.

President WCCI Karachi East, Ms. Mehreen Ilahi,President WCCI Karachi South, Dr. Fouzia Hameed, former VPs FPCCI Ms. Nazli Abid Nisar, Naima Ansari, Masuma Sibtain and former VP FPCCI, SVP of WCCI Lahore , Shagufta Rehman besides a large number of other women entrepreneurs and members of different women chambers of the country participated.

Discussing the challenges faced by the women entrepreneurs, President FPCCI further shared that SBP had approached FPCCI to provide the data of the women business owners which will be utilized to provide financial reliefs to our hardworking businesswomen.

Appreciating the efforts of women entrepreneurs, Vice President FPCCI Sheikh Sultan Rehman demanded equal opportunities, level playing field and financial assistance to the women entrepreneurs to survive in the present economic conditions.

He said that FPCCI through its women standing committees and WCCIs across Pakistan were extending cooperation to the businesswomen in the country.

Vice President FPCCI Qaiser Khan invited the participants in the upcoming workshops to be conducted by FPCCI capital office Islamabad in coordination with Trade Development Authority of Pakistan to share awareness regarding the loans under Export Development Fund to women owned businesses.

Shahla Isavya, Women Wing, TUMSIAD Pakistan is a Turkish organization working to increase trade between Pakistan and Turkey and said that her organization was very much willing to coordinate with Pakistani women entrepreneurs to access Turkish market.

Prof. Dr. M. Shahid Qureshi, Program Director AMAN Centre for Entrepreneurial Development-IBA appreciated FPCCI for organizing this webinar and said that finance was indeed a primary need to run a business, but we must also focus to develop business and entrepreneurial abilities in our female business owners.

While discussing the problems faced by the Women Entrepreneurs, Qaisra Sheikh said that collateral and interest free loans must be provided to the small and micro level business owners. Furthermore, she highlighted the non-cooperative attitude of commercial banks towards the women entrepreneurs.

Nazli Abid said that the pandemic and recent devastating rain and flooding in Karachi had severely affected the small and micro level businesses run by women who needs urgent and utmost financial assistance from government to survive in the market.

Mehreen Ilahi highlighted major issues including access to finances, lack of capacity building and market knowledge, issues and cost of transportation for micro level business owners in remote areas etc.

She urged that a special task force should be formulated by government to resolve these issues on war footing.