FWCCI focusing on attracting FDI to women-led businesses

FAISALABAD: Faisalabad Women Chamber and industry has main focus to attract foreign direct investment for women-led businesses for joint ventures, technology transfer, buy-back arrangements, said Mrs. Nighat Shahid, President FWCCI.

She was talking to media after a meeting with Dr. Arif Alvi, President of Pakistan at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad.

She said that she briefed the President of Pakistan that she is already working with different Central Asian Republics as Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Italy, UK, Turkey, neighboring countries as Afghanistan, Iran, Central Asian countries as Indonesia, Malaysia to attract foreign direct investment to Faisalabad women led businesses.

She said that she requested the President to advice Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) for subsidized women delegations to foreign markets and reduced freight for shipments and also subsidized charges to organize national level women products exhibitions in Lok Virsa, Pak China Cultural Centre Lahore Expo etc.

She said that she informed Honorable President that we have made hard efforts to motivate young female graduates for new business start ups to avail cheap finance of SBP but participating banks did not fully facilitate to the women. She requested that participating banks need to be advised to extend full cooperation and assistance for loan to women applicants and make required documentation easier as well as increasing the female staff at the banks.

She said that since technical jobs require updated trainings, it is an opportunity to provide women with technical know-how and skills to reduce the gender education gap leading to an increase in the pool of medium to highly-skilled workforce. She said that she has already focused on this and various training courses as digital marketing, web development, computer application mobile repairing etc were launched by the FWCCI.

She said that the delegates also put up proposals for reduced taxation for women businesses as of beauty parlor services, private schools etc. The delegation was headed by President FWCC Mrs. Nighat Shahid and accompanied by Mrs. Farhat Nisar, Vice President, Mrs. Shama Ahmad, Hina Babar Khan, Mrs. Zarqa Tariq, Mrs. Saima Irfan and others.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022